Renewal fees for the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) will rise by 6% to respond to the increasing ‘volume and complexity’ of its work, the independent pharmacy regulator has announced.
The GPhC said that pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacies taking on wider responsibilities and providing more services is increasing the work needed to regulate pharmacy and support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to deliver safe practice.
The GPhC Council agreed yesterday that the fee increase was necessary due to the organisation’s workload and costs having significantly increased as it regulates in a ‘rapidly changing’ healthcare environment.
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It said it has seen a ‘striking’ increase in the number and complexity of concerns raised by the public and others, with almost 9,750 concerns received so far in 2025-26. This is an increase of 77% since 2023-24.
Inspection activity has also increased by over 60% since 2023/24, with almost 2,000 inspections expected to be delivered this year, the GPhC said.
From September the annual registration fee for pharmacists will increase by £17 a year to £310, pharmacy technician fees will increase £8 a year to £146, and pharmacy premises fees will rise by £25 a year to £441.
The GPhC said that this equates to a £1.42 a month increase for pharmacists, a 67p a month increase for pharmacy technicians and a £2.08 a month increase for pharmacy premises.
GPhC chief executive Kathie Cashell, said: ‘We have already delivered savings of £700,000 and set a target to make total savings of at least £1.5 million by 2028 so we can respond to the significant increases in demand and avoid large fee increases in the future.
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‘We understand the financial pressures facing pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy businesses, and our council has not taken this decision lightly.
‘Pharmacy is changing rapidly, and our work is more important than ever. This increase will help to ensure the GPhC is in a strong financial position to respond to those demands.’
The GPhC said its council has also set out its intention to move to a more ‘regular and incremental’ approach to fee increases, which in future years will be aligned with inflation, to avoid the need for large increases.
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It will also review the way pharmacy premises fees are set to reflect changes in the sector, it added.
The GPhC has also created a guide explaining how pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can claim tax relief on their GPhC annual registration fees. The regulator said it would write to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians explaining how to claim this tax relief.
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