Pharmacy staff reference checks — GPhC conduct and CQC-compliant references

Reference checking requirements for pharmacy providers

Pharmacy providers registered with CQC must comply with Regulation 19 for all staff in regulated roles. For pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, employment references should address GPhC Standards for Pharmacy Professionals, conduct with patients and customers, any dispensing errors or near misses, disciplinary proceedings, professional conduct concerns and safeguarding suitability. For dispensary assistants and pharmacy technicians who are not GPhC registered, references should address reliability, accuracy and patient safety awareness.

GPhC fitness to practise and employer references

The GPhC has a fitness to practise framework for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. GPhC fitness to practise concerns may be reported by employers, colleagues or patients — but many concerns are handled internally without GPhC referral. Checking GPhC registration status tells a prospective employer nothing about conduct concerns that were resolved internally. A reference with GPhC-relevant conduct questions is the mechanism for surfacing these concerns before appointment.

RefAssure pharmacy templates include GPhC-relevant professional conduct questions alongside mandatory CQC safeguarding suitability and disciplinary history fields. Every pharmacy reference generates a PDF with full audit trail satisfying CQC Regulation 19. From 99p per reference with no subscription.