Dear Member,
As we move into 2026, the landscape of pharmacy supervision is undergoing the most significant legislative shift in a generation.
Effective January 7th, 2026, the Human Medicines (Authorisation by Pharmacists and Supervision by Pharmacy Technicians) Order 2025 has officially decoupled the clinical assessment from the physical handover of medicines. This provides our members with unprecedented flexibility, but it also demands a new level of systemic governance to ensure patient safety and GPhC compliance.
The 2026 Roadmap: Key Milestones
- Phase 1 (Effective January 7, 2026): You can now authorise competent pharmacy staff to hand out prescriptions that have already been clinically verified and accuracy-checked by a pharmacist, even if you are "functionally" or "physically"
absent.
- Phase 2 (Coming December 10, 2026): Registered Pharmacy Technicians can be authorised to supervise the entire preparation, assembly, and dispensing process, fundamentally evolving the workflow of the dispensary.
Why Is This
Changing?
The goal is to modernise the profession by empowering our Pharmacy Technicians and freeing up Pharmacists to deliver high-impact clinical work, such as Pharmacy First consultations, without the constant interruption of physical handovers.
Implementing
the "Authorised Handover" Protocol
To help you navigate these changes safely, PharmaPlus has developed an Interactive Supervision Master-Protocol. This tool is designed to help you and your team differentiate between what can be delegated and what must remain under your direct physical oversight.
What You Need to Do Now:
- Review the Risk Matrix: Understand the "Green, Amber, and Red" categories for medication handover.
- Define Your Absence: Clearly identify "Functional Absence" (when you are in the
consultation room) versus "Physical Absence" (off-site, max 2 hours).
- Train Your Team: Use the protocol tool to train your staff on "Clinical Friction”- knowing exactly when to stop a handover and wait for a pharmacist review.
- Update Your RP
Log: Ensure you have a documented daily authorisation for any staff participating in delegated handovers.
While the GPhC continues to develop detailed standards, this framework provides the immediate clinical governance necessary to protect your practice and utilise this new legislative freedom safely.
If you have any questions regarding the implementation of these protocols in your pharmacy, please contact the PharmaPlus Clinical Governance team.
Regards,
PharmaPlus
