Pharmacists on the temporary register will be automatically removed on April 1, unless they have applied to rejoin the permanent register, the General Pharmaceutical Council has said.
The government asked the GPhC and other pertinent health professional regulators to close temporary registers by March 31, 2024.
According to the GPhC, this decision is based on the anticipation that the emergency conditions justifying the establishment of these temporary registers will cease after the approaching winter.
The temporary register was established after the Health and Social Care Secretary asked the Council to utilise its emergency powers to swiftly register pharmacy professionals for their essential role in the national COVID-19 response.
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who had previously opted to withdraw from the GPhC register or failed to renew their registration are now eligible for immediate re-registration, the regulator added.
In March 2020, the GPhC granted temporary registration to 3,332 pharmacists and 2,909 pharmacy technicians who had previously left the register. This allowed them to rejoin the workforce during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
In Sept. 2022, the GPhC temporary register, initially scheduled to close on 30 September 2022, was extended following a request from the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Therese Coffey.
