Health secretary Therese Coffey has asked the GPhC to keep its temporary register of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians open for two more years.

In a statement yesterday, the regulator said that it and other health regulators had been asked to extend temporary registration in order to “support the health and social care system,” overturning previous plans to close the register at the end of this month.  

The temporary register was established at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 to allow individuals whose registration had lapsed in the previous three years to rejoin, provided they did not have any fitness to practise issues raised against them.

It made an additional 6,000 pharmacy professionals eligible to practise during the pandemic, the GPhC has said.

“We are reminding all pharmacy professionals that they must continue to meet the standards for pharmacy professionals and have the appropriate indemnity insurance they place, if they choose to practise while on the temporary register,” said the regulator.

“Employers must check that any pharmacists and pharmacy technicians they employ are appropriately registered to practise.”

Ms Coffey said a “national endeavour” was needed to help the health service perform better and more consistently, adding that this may include allowing “clinicians who have retired to return to work or opening up opportunities for the million people who volunteered to help during the pandemic”.