GPhC vision and strategy

Transcription

1 Council meeting 16 June 2010 Public business GPhC vision and strategy Purpose To provide the Council with a draft of the proposed vision and strategy document. Recommendations The Council is asked to agree: i. to adopt the draft vision and strategy document for the first couple of years of GPhC operation ii. to the wider circulation of the document to stakeholders with a view to engaging them in its further development. 1.0 Introduction 1.1 The Council first discussed the GPhC vision and strategy informally at its shadow meeting in January The Council agreed that a small group of Council members should meet to discuss the vision and strategy and prepare a draft that the Council could discuss. 1.3 The group met at the end of March and discussed a format and broad content of the vision and strategy document. 1.4 The Council discussed and suggested amendments to a draft vision and strategy document at their meeting in May. Page 1 of 7

2 2.0 Key Considerations 2.1 The vision and strategy document is a key document that informs patients, the public and others of what the GPhC intends to achieve over a particular time period. It makes clear the vision and values of the new pharmacy regulator and provides clear objectives against which the GPhC can operate. 2.2 The vision and strategy will provide a rational basis for determining priorities and allocating resources, and is essential for planning and setting objectives at all levels. 2.3 The draft vision and strategy document can be found in Appendix 1. The document provides links to two documents that are being developed. 3.0 Equality and diversity implications 3.1 The vision and strategy document makes specific reference to an equality and diversity scheme. 3.2 The group believed that the two values demonstrate respect for others and develop policies that are inclusive also include a commitment to equality and diversity. 4.0 Communications implications 4.1 Once this draft vision and strategy document has been agreed by Council, we will seek to share it more widely and obtain further views and comments. 5.0 Resource implications 5.1 The resource associated with the preparation of the vision and strategy has been met within the existing budget. 6.0 Risk implications 6.1 Clarity about aims and objectives is essential to effective management of risks for the GPhC. Without such clarity, the organisation would not be well-placed to make soundly based risk assessments, and to put targeted and proportionate measures in place to reduce risks. Page 2 of 7

3 Recommendations The Council is asked to agree: i. to adopt the draft vision and strategy document for the first couple of years of GPhC operation ii. to the wider circulation of the document to stakeholders with a view to engaging them in its further development. Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive & Registrar General Pharmaceutical Council duncan.rudkin@pharmacyregulation.org, tel Page 3 of 7

4 Appendix 1 GPhC Vision and Strategy 1.0 Introduction 1.1 The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) is the regulator for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy premises. It is our job to protect, promote and maintain the health, safety and wellbeing of patients and the public who use pharmaceutical services. 1.2 The GPhC is a newly established regulator that will take over regulation of pharmacy professionals and pharmacy premises from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. This document sets out our purpose and vision for the future. These are underpinned by our core values. We have also identified our strategic objectives for the first couple of years of operation. 2.0 Our Purpose 2.1 We will protect and promote the health and safety of patients and the public by assuring the maintenance and development of safe and effective pharmacy practice in Great Britain. We will also contribute to the continued development of trust and confidence in pharmacy by patients and the public and other health professionals. 3.0 Our Vision and Values 3.1 We aim to secure the confidence of patients, the public and pharmacy professionals by being a healthcare regulator that demonstrates effectiveness and efficiency and supports innovation in delivering its functions. We will ensure that our values are at the heart of everything we do and as a regulator we will endeavour to: be focused on improvement be responsive to change develop policies that are inclusive be independent and fair demonstrate respect for others ensure that regulation is proportionate Page 4 of 7

5 3.2 As a Council, we have adopted the Nolan principles of public life and have undertaken to apply these in exercising our role as a governing body. 3.3 You can find out more about our equality and diversity scheme by clicking here: [link]. 3.4 You can find out more about the role of pharmacy professionals by clicking here: [link]. 4.0 Themes 4.1 In the first couple of years our work will focus on three key themes: Delivering effective regulation Establishing ourselves Developing our future programme 4.2 These themes are supported by strategic objectives that explain how we will deliver them and are set out below. We recognise that the work of a regulator will often require balancing competing considerations in the interests of public protection. We are committed to engaging and communicating with our stakeholders, i.e. persons, groups and organisations that affect, or are affected by, our work, acknowledging areas of conflict and setting out why we have taken the decisions we have. 4.3 Our strategic objectives will be supported by a corporate plan and this will contain more operational detail. 5.0 Delivering effective regulation 5.1 Delivering effective regulation is part of our core function as a healthcare regulator. We will do this by: assuring the quality of education and training required for registration as a pharmacy professional and for annotations to the register; maintaining a register of pharmacy professionals and pharmacy premises; setting standards that secure the safe and effective practice of pharmacy; ensuring that our standards remain relevant, up-to-date and support the development of innovative practice; Page 5 of 7

6 (g) (h) (i) (j) informing patients and the public about the standards for pharmacy professionals and retail pharmacy premises and working with pharmacy professionals and pharmacy owners to support the maintenance and development of standards in practice; safeguarding patient safety through our responsibilities for investigating and acting on concerns about the fitness to practise of pharmacy professionals or the practice of pharmacy from registered pharmacy premises; promptly responding to concerns received about the fitness to practise of pharmacy professionals or the practice of pharmacy from registered pharmacy premises; ensuring that the way in which we regulate is fair and proportionate to the risk involved; ensuring that regulation is efficient through the effective use of our resources; and ensuring that our regulatory framework keeps pace with changes in healthcare in the three countries for which we have regulatory responsibility. 6.0 Establishing ourselves 6.1 As we are a new regulator for pharmacy, it is important that we establish ourselves. We will do this by: ensuring the smooth transition of regulatory activities from the previous regulator; developing the policies and procedures for regulation in pharmacy to reflect our values and priorities; developing our skilled and experienced workforce to ensure that our priorities and values are delivered in all that we do; raising awareness and understanding of our work and how this serves both patients and the public and the profession; earning the trust and confidence of others by involving them in our work to help us make appropriate and evidence based decisions; Page 6 of 7

7 (g) (h) developing and maintaining a clear communications and engagement strategy; building strong external relations, in particular with patients and the public, with pharmacy professionals and with partner organisations, including other regulators ; and demonstrating how our values are embedded in everything we do. 7.0 Developing our future programme 7.1 In order to be an innovative and effective regulator it is important we continuously seek to improve the way in which we work. We will do this by: developing our three to five year strategy; taking forward our standards development programme; increasing our awareness of desirable changes in pharmacy practice, education and training and influencing and responding to these changes; improving our fitness to practise procedures and building on the strengths of the inspectorate; developing an effective system of revalidation; and collaborating with organisations and influencing health regulatory policy and systems in the UK and the rest of Europe. Page 7 of 7