Responses to the Department of Health and Social Care’s consultation Promoting professionalism, reforming regulation have been mixed, with some welcoming the focus on supporting professionalism and others, such as the National Pharmacy Association, voicing concerns that a proposed health ‘super-regulator’ would “dilute pharmacy expertise within the regulatory regime”.

GPhC chief executive Duncan Rudkin said: “We strongly support the objectives this consultation is seeking to achieve, including its focus on professionalism. We agree the focus of the regulators should be on promoting and supporting professionalism because it enhances patient safety and quality of care.”

“Most of the coverage of the consultation in the pharmacy media has concentrated on the question of whether there should be fewer regulatory bodies and, if so, how a smaller number should be configured. The GPhC keeps an open mind about this issue. We need to probe the evidence base for change and explore whether any particular proposals would lead to better outcomes for patients and the public, which is the important thing.”

The NPA’s Nitin Sodha said: “As the third largest healthcare profession, pharmacy requires a bespoke regulator, in line with the medical and nursing professions. The NPA is also concerned that large scale regulatory bodies may be less accessible to patients and the wider public and may not lend themselves to greater responsiveness.”

The NPA also expressed concerns that an amalgamated regulator could become London-centric.