Fitness to Practise
The Pharmaceutical Society NI (the organisation) describes fitness to practise as a pharmacist’s suitability to be on the register without restrictions. This means maintaining appropriate standards of proficiency ensuring they are of good health and good character, and are adhering to principles of good practice set out in the standards, guidance and advice issued by the Pharmaceutical Society NI.
Reasons which may impair a pharmacist’s fitness to practise include ill-health, lack of the ability to competently practise as a pharmacist or findings of misconduct including convictions of a criminal offence.
What is Fitness to Practice?
In July 2022 the Professional Standards Authority (the PSA) produced a statement, “What is Fitness to Practice,” which includes the following excerpt:
“(Fitness to Practise) is the process the health and social care regulators use to deal with complaints or concerns about their registrants. Other sectors call it ‘discipline’ or ‘complaints handling’. In health, calling it ‘fitness to practise’ is helpful because it emphasises that the key question is whether the registrant is ‘fit’ to provide health or social care to the public and, if not, what action should be taken. In this case ‘fit’ doesn’t just look at their health, but also at their competence and whether they are a ‘fit and proper’ person to be a member of a profession.”
The full statement can be found here: PSA statement of July 2022
What will the Pharmaceutical Society NI investigate?
The professional and personal conduct of the pharmacist will be judged against the Pharmaceutical Society NI’s Code of Ethics. A breach of the principles may bring the pharmacist’s fitness to practise into question and may lead to referral to the organisation’s Scrutiny and Statutory Committees.
For further details of the Fitness to Practise process and procedures please download the following document:
If you require clarification on any of these matters please contact the Fitness to Practise section of the Pharmaceutical Society NI at
73 University Street
Belfast
Co. Antrim
BT7 1HL
or email: