GPhC inspection checklist: all 26 standards for registered pharmacies, with what to check and what fails each one
A self-audit for community and online pharmacies in Great Britain, single sites and chains, set out the way GPhC inspects you: five principles, 26 standards, and for each one the checks to run and the findings that fail it. Browse all 26 below, or request a copy tailored to your pharmacy and we'll send a scoped working template.
GPhC doesn't publish a checklist. Its inspection decision making framework gives examples of what meets each standard and what fails it, and GPhC says the framework "should be used as a guide and not as a checklist". We wrote the checks below from those examples, in our words, and each row names the framework pages it draws on. We mark the 18 core standards GPhC checks in a focused inspection.
The principles and standards are GPhC's, quoted accurately. The "what to check" and "what fails it" columns are ours. Use them as prompts for your own audit.
The standards are from GPhC's Standards for registered pharmacies (June 2018). The checks draw on GPhC's Inspection decision making framework (January 2026, updated 2 March 2026). You'll find every source under Sources, below the tables.
Last reviewed: 7 October 2026.
Nothing on this page is regulatory advice: see the terms of use. For a working copy you can fill in, request one tailored to your pharmacy below.
Also registered with CQC? Browse all our free tools, including audit tools and checklists for CQC-registered services. If you hold a wholesale dealer's licence, use the MHRA GDP inspection checklist.
Focused inspection marks the 18 core standards GPhC checks in a focused inspection. Start with these.
Online pharmacies marks the 7 standards with extra checks if you supply medicines at a distance, including online.
Principle 1: Governance 8 standards · 7 in a focused inspection · 3 with online checks
The governance arrangements safeguard the health, safety and wellbeing of patients and the public.
| Standard | What to check | What fails it |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1The risks associated with providing pharmacy services are identified and managedFocused inspectionOnline pharmaciesFramework pages 6 to 8 | Do you have a current risk assessment for every service, and update it when guidance changes or something goes wrong? Check each service has an in-date SOP that every team member has signed, and that the team can explain the main risks. If you use an online prescriber or a hub-and-spoke partner, check you hold their SOPs and a written agreement. | No risk assessments for your services, the same errors happening again because nobody reviews them, SOPs that are missing or that the team doesn't follow, or a prescribing partner that sidesteps UK regulation with no plan to manage the extra risk. |
| 1.2The safety and quality of pharmacy services are reviewed and monitoredFocused inspectionFramework pages 9 to 10 | Does everyone know what to do and who to tell when something goes wrong? Check you record errors and near misses in enough detail to learn from, review them for patterns, and can show what changed as a result. Check you audit your procedures and services regularly. If you run a prescribing service, check someone suitably qualified audits the prescribing. | No way to show what you learn when things go wrong, staff who don't know how to report, failing to share incidents with others involved in the person's care, or no prescribing audits. |
| 1.3Pharmacy services are provided by staff with clearly defined roles and clear lines of accountabilityFocused inspectionFramework pages 10 to 12 | Have you written down each team member's role, and can they explain what they're responsible for and when to ask for help? Check the responsible pharmacist notice is on display, the team knows what to do when the responsible pharmacist is absent, and you can trace who did each professional task. Check accuracy checkers work to clear protocols, and that hub-and-spoke and other partner agreements set out who is responsible for what. | Staff unsure of their roles, accuracy checkers working with no defined framework, staff handing out prescriptions when the responsible pharmacist is absent with no clear framework that authorises them to, or a hub-and-spoke model with no clear split of responsibility. |
| 1.4Feedback and concerns about the pharmacy, services and staff can be raised by individuals and organisations, and these are taken into account and action taken where appropriateFramework pages 12 to 13 | Is your complaints policy clear, and do you advertise how people can complain or give feedback, including on your website? Check you respond to each complaint promptly and fully, and can show changes you made because of feedback. Check you share significant complaints with other professionals involved in the person's care. | No system for complaints or feedback, a team that ignores complaints or handles them badly, or failing to share significant complaints with others involved in the person's care. |
| 1.5Appropriate indemnity or insurance arrangements are in place for the pharmacy services providedFocused inspectionFramework page 14 | Does your professional indemnity cover every service you provide, including any you've added recently, and is the level of cover enough to meet potential claims? Check the cover started from your first day of operating. | Gaps in cover for any service, or cover too low to meet potential claims. |
| 1.6All necessary records for the safe provision of pharmacy services are kept and maintainedFocused inspectionOnline pharmaciesFramework pages 14 to 16 | Can you produce complete, accurate records for every service, and do you store them securely where the team can find them? Check controlled drug running balances against physical stock, and keep records of patient-returned CDs, unlicensed medicines, private prescriptions and emergency supplies. Check your PGDs are in date and signed. If you prescribe, check consultation records show the reason for each decision. Check you have a plan for records if your IT fails. | Records you can't produce, or prescribers who don't record their consultations or the reasons for prescribing medicines that need extra safeguards. |
| 1.7Information is managed to protect the privacy, dignity and confidentiality of patients and the public who receive pharmacy servicesFocused inspectionFramework pages 17 to 20 | Has every team member read and signed your information governance policy and completed IG training, with refreshers? Check you handle confidential waste securely, back up your records, and that team members use only their own NHS smartcard and can explain what a data breach is and what to do. Check you get valid consent before care or treatment. | Exposing confidential information or sharing it without authority, handling a data breach badly, failing to destroy confidential waste properly, or giving care without valid consent. |
| 1.8Children and vulnerable adults are safeguardedFocused inspectionOnline pharmaciesFramework pages 20 to 21 | Has every team member completed safeguarding training for their role, including training for your model, such as online or aesthetics services? Check local safeguarding contacts are easy to find, the team knows who to refer to, and you advertise your chaperone policy clearly. | Team members who don't understand their safeguarding role, or a team that fails to protect vulnerable people, so medicines or services reach them unsafely. |
Principle 2: Staff 6 standards · 3 in a focused inspection
Staff are empowered and competent to safeguard the health, safety and wellbeing of patients and the public.
| Standard | What to check | What fails it |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1There are enough staff, suitably qualified and skilled, for the safe and effective provision of the pharmacy services providedFocused inspectionFramework pages 22 to 23 | Do your rotas give the right skill mix for every hour you're open, and do you review staffing when you add services? Check you have cover for absences, the team can take breaks and finish work without pressure, and recruitment includes background checks such as DBS or Disclosure Scotland. | Not enough qualified staff to work safely, no cover for absences, staff under too much pressure to finish tasks or take breaks, or recruitment that skips safety checks. |
| 2.2Staff have the appropriate skills, qualifications and competence for their role and the tasks they carry out, or are working under the supervision of another person while they are in trainingFocused inspectionFramework pages 23 to 25 | Has each team member completed training that meets GPhC's minimum training requirements, plus training for each service they deliver? Check you supervise trainees and give them time to study, keep records of ongoing training, and use appraisals to find individual learning needs. If prescribers work with you, check you hold evidence of their skills and qualifications. | Staff without training that meets GPhC's minimum requirements, people doing tasks they have no training for, or prescribers prescribing outside their competence. |
| 2.3Staff can comply with their own professional and legal obligations and are empowered to exercise their professional judgement in the interests of patients and the publicFocused inspectionFramework pages 26 to 27 | Can your pharmacists make professional decisions without pressure to compromise? Check the team asks the right questions when selling medicines, knows when to ask for help, can give examples of interventions they've made, and knows who your local controlled drugs accountable officer is. | Staff who can't use their professional judgement, or who feel pressure to sell products or provide services unsafely. |
| 2.4There is a culture of openness, honesty and learningFramework pages 27 to 28 | Do team members record mistakes and near misses without fear of blame, and understand their duty of candour? Check you investigate and report incidents, discuss performance and learning as a team regularly, and set out the behaviour you expect in your policies. | A team that hides errors, safety incidents nobody investigates or reports, or poor relationships in the team that put people at risk. |
| 2.5Staff are empowered to provide feedback and raise concerns about meeting these standards and other aspects of pharmacy servicesFramework pages 28 to 29 | Does every team member know how to raise a concern, including directly with the superintendent pharmacist or senior managers? Check you review your whistleblowing policy, hold regular team meetings, and can show what you did after recent concerns or suggestions. | Too little action when team members raise real concerns, or threats and fear of reprisal that stop staff speaking up. |
| 2.6Incentives or targets do not compromise the health, safety or wellbeing of patients and the public, or the professional judgement of staffFramework pages 30 to 31 | Do your targets and incentives serve the people who use your services? Check you review them regularly, the team can use discretion, and no prescriber working with you has a financial incentive to prescribe when it may not be appropriate. | Target pressure that harms patient care, incentives that encourage inappropriate sales, such as buy one get one free on medicines liable to misuse, prescribers with a financial incentive to prescribe inappropriately, or discounts on prescription-only medicines against MHRA and ASA guidance. |
Principle 3: Premises 5 standards · 3 in a focused inspection · 2 with online checks
The environment and condition of the premises from which pharmacy services are provided, and any associated premises, safeguard the health, safety and wellbeing of patients and the public.
| Standard | What to check | What fails it |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1Premises are safe, clean, properly maintained and suitable for the pharmacy services providedFocused inspectionOnline pharmaciesFramework pages 32 to 34 | Are the premises clean, tidy and in good repair, with enough bench and floor space to work safely? Check the team knows how to report repairs, fire exits stay clear, nobody uses the consultation room for storage, and the layout works for people with mobility or other needs. If you have a website, check it shows your GPhC registration number and owner details and follows GPhC's distance-selling guidance. | Structural damage, serious health and safety risks such as blocked fire exits, premises too small for the work, or a website that misleads or doesn't meet GPhC's distance-selling guidance. |
| 3.2Premises protect the privacy, dignity and confidentiality of patients and the public who receive pharmacy servicesFocused inspectionOnline pharmaciesFramework pages 34 to 35 | Do you have a consultation room or private area for confidential conversations that suits the services you provide? Check screens protect the dispensary and the medicines counter. If you run a website or app, check it has effective security safeguards. | Nowhere to talk in private, a consultation room that doesn't protect dignity, or digital platforms with a risk of data breaches. |
| 3.3Premises are maintained to a level of hygiene appropriate to the pharmacy services providedFramework pages 35 to 36 | Are there sinks with hot and cold water, soap and a way to dry hands in the dispensary, staff room and toilets? Check you clean work areas regularly, have infection control arrangements for services such as vaccinations, and deal with any pests. | No proper handwashing or infection control, unclean work areas, storing medicines in the toilet area, or pests nobody deals with. |
| 3.4Premises are secure and safeguarded from unauthorised accessFocused inspectionFramework pages 36 to 37 | Are entry points secure, and do you have the alarms, CCTV or other measures your premises need? Check a physical barrier keeps the public out of restricted areas, the team uses the security measures, and you acted on any previous security incident. | Faulty locks or broken windows, controlled drugs within reach of unauthorised people, other occupiers of a shared building able to get in, or no response to past security incidents. |
| 3.5Pharmacy services are provided in an environment that is appropriate for the provision of healthcareFramework pages 37 to 38 | Is the pharmacy well lit and ventilated, with temperatures suitable for staff and for storing medicines? Check the layout lets the pharmacist supervise the team, and there's a separate space with fewer distractions for clinical and accuracy checks. | Facilities that don't keep people safe, extreme temperatures that affect staff or medicines, or products on sale that don't belong in a healthcare setting, such as tobacco. |
Principle 4: Services, including medicines and devices 4 standards · 4 in a focused inspection · 2 with online checks
The way in which pharmacy services, including the management of medicines and medical devices, are delivered safeguards the health, safety and wellbeing of patients and the public.
| Standard | What to check | What fails it |
|---|---|---|
| 4.1The pharmacy services provided are accessible to patients and the publicFocused inspectionOnline pharmaciesFramework pages 39 to 40 | Do you tell people which services you offer and point them elsewhere for those you don't? Check you make reasonable adjustments for people with protected characteristics, keep opening hours and service information accurate, and sign the pharmacy clearly. If you supply at a distance, check your contact details and delivery times are clear. | Avoidable barriers that stop people getting care, or no reasonable adjustments for people with specific needs. |
| 4.2Pharmacy services are managed and delivered safely and effectivelyFocused inspectionOnline pharmaciesFramework pages 40 to 45 | Can you trace who was involved at each stage of dispensing? Check you flag higher-risk medicines at hand-out and follow their procedures, and that deliveries and compliance packs have clear controls. If you supply at a distance, check you confirm identity, independently verify online questionnaire answers for high-risk medicines, inform the usual prescriber where needed, and follow up treatments that need monitoring. | Missed clinical checks that let unsafe medicines through, selling pharmacy-only medicines without the responsible pharmacist, unlawful or excessive supplies, or supplying high-risk medicines online without identity checks and safeguards. |
4.3Medicines and medical devices are:
| Do you buy only from licensed wholesalers or authorised suppliers? Check you date-check stock on a schedule and keep records, check and record fridge temperatures, store controlled drugs and their keys under safe custody rules, and quarantine patient returns as soon as they arrive. Check your deliveries keep fridge lines and controlled drugs safe. | Out-of-date or counterfeit medicines in stock, storing controlled drugs or fridge lines wrongly, mixing patient returns with stock, or supplying short-dated medicines that expire before the course ends. |
| 4.4Concerns are raised when it is suspected that medicines or medical devices are not fit for purposeFocused inspectionFramework pages 48 to 49 | How do you receive drug alerts and recalls, and can you show the action you took on each one? Check the team knows what to do with damaged stock, a faulty medicine returned by a patient, or a report of an unexpected side effect. | No system for drug alerts, or no action when medicines or devices may not be fit for purpose. |
Principle 5: Equipment and facilities 3 standards · 1 in a focused inspection
The equipment and facilities used in the provision of pharmacy services safeguard the health, safety and wellbeing of patients and the public.
| Standard | What to check | What fails it |
|---|---|---|
| 5.1Equipment and facilities needed to provide pharmacy services are readily availableFocused inspectionFramework page 50 | Do you have the equipment and up-to-date reference sources each service needs? Check vaccination and testing services have the right equipment, including anaphylaxis resources, and that you back up patient medication records securely. | Missing equipment for a service, out-of-date reference material, or giving vaccinations without anaphylaxis resources. |
5.2Equipment and facilities are:
| Do you buy equipment from reputable suppliers and keep it maintained and in calibration? Check measuring equipment is government-stamped, the team knows how to use each item, and you can show electrical and fire safety checks. | Equipment nobody maintains or that's past its calibration date, measures that aren't fit for purpose, or missing electrical and fire safety checks. |
| 5.3Equipment and facilities are used in a way that protects the privacy and dignity of the patients and the public who receive pharmacy servicesFramework pages 52 to 53 | Can only authorised staff get into patient medication records and other clinical systems? Check screens face away from the public, the team makes private calls out of earshot, and nobody uses another person's NHS smartcard. | Using equipment in a way that exposes people's information or compromises their privacy, or devices holding personal data that unauthorised people could get into. |
How GPhC reports what it finds
Inspectors judge each standard they check as met or not met. A focused inspection checks the 18 core standards marked above, and a full inspection checks all 26. Your pharmacy needs to meet every standard the inspector checks to get an overall outcome of "standards met", and GPhC expects you to meet all 26 every day. Fail any one, and the overall outcome is "standards not all met".
Our GPhC inspections guide covers what happens on the day, what GPhC finds most often, and the deadlines if you miss a standard.
What fails a standard
The framework's "not met" examples are the findings likely to fail a standard, and our "what fails it" column draws on them. The greater the impact on patient safety, the more likely the inspector fails the standard. Minor issues, such as small gaps in records or cluttered storage with no significant risk, are unlikely to fail a standard on their own. Several minor issues together can.
What meets a standard
The "met" examples show what an inspector may look for, and our "what to check" column draws on them. GPhC says you don't need every example in place to meet a standard.
Areas for improvement and good practice
Your report can also list areas for improvement, where you meet the standard but the inspector found something to fix, and good practice, where you go beyond what the standards expect. Areas for improvement usually have no impact on patient safety, and GPhC includes them in the report so you can act on them.
Sources for the standards and the checks
- GPhC: Standards for registered pharmacies (June 2018)
- GPhC: Inspection decision making framework (January 2026)
- GPhC: GPhC updates its inspection decision making framework
- GPhC: Guidance for registered pharmacies providing pharmacy services at a distance, including on the internet (February 2025)
- GPhC: Inspections: the standards
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Common questions
Does GPhC publish an inspection checklist?
No. GPhC publishes the standards for registered pharmacies and an inspection decision making framework with examples of what meets and fails each standard. GPhC says its framework "should be used as a guide and not as a checklist". This page turns those examples into checks you can run, in our words.
What outcomes can a GPhC inspection give?
Inspectors judge each standard they check as met or not met. A focused inspection checks 18 core standards and a full inspection checks all 26. A pharmacy that meets every standard the inspector checks gets an overall outcome of "standards met". If it fails any one standard, the overall outcome is "standards not all met". The report also lists areas for improvement, where a standard is met but the inspector found something to fix, and good practice, where the pharmacy goes beyond what the standards expect.
Does this checklist work for online pharmacies?
Yes. The standards apply to every registered pharmacy in Great Britain, including those that supply at a distance. Seven standards have extra checks for online and distance supply, and we mark them. GPhC also expects you to follow its guidance for pharmacies providing services at a distance, including on the internet.
How often should we run a self-audit?
GPhC doesn't set a frequency. Its framework expects you to audit your procedures and review your services regularly, and to show what changed as a result. A pharmacy has to meet the standards every day, so set a schedule you can show an inspector and keep a record of what each audit found and what you changed.
Does it cover pharmacy chains?
Yes. GPhC inspects each registered pharmacy, so run the audit at every branch and check each one works to the same SOPs, records and incident reviews. Request a copy and we'll scope it to your branches and services.
Or be ready whenever GPhC inspects
CompliantCare tracks every GPhC standard on this page for your pharmacy, and links each one to the policy, audit or training record behind it. You see a gap the day it appears. Compliance Monitoring covers CQC and MHRA too, and when the inspector arrives, one click produces the evidence pack.