Power outage disrupts GPhC registration assessment for 3 hours

GPhC registration assessment for summer 2024 required candidates to have satisfactorily completed 39 weeks of training on or before 3 May 2024 

On Thursday (27) the Chief Operating Officer at the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Jonathan Bennetts, reported a major power cut at London Highbury test centre that caused major delays in the examination process.

London Highbury test centre is amongst 87 centres where the GPhC's registration assessment for summer 2024 took place which required candidates to have completed 39 weeks of training on or before May 3 and with satisfactory 39 weeks of training progress report.

Bennetts reported that approximately 2,700 candidates sat for the registration assessment  when at one of the centres "unexpected power outage caused a three-hour delay."

"Around seventy candidates at the London Highbury test centre were unable to start Part 2 of the assessment at the scheduled time of 2:15 PM," Bennetts stated.

The unexpected power outage caused a three-hour delay, during which candidates were kept informed and provided with refreshments.

Additional GPhC representatives were dispatched to the centre to support the affected candidates.

The power was restored after three hours, allowing the candidates to commence Part 2 of the examination.

Essential checks were conducted to ensure everything was in order before resuming the assessment.

Bennetts acknowledged the inconvenience caused by the delay, emphasising the GPhC's awareness of the stress it might have induced among the candidates.

"We fully understand the impact that the power cut may have had on these candidates and the stress this will have caused," he said.

The GPhC is taking proactive steps to address the issue by reaching out to the affected candidates via email.

In their communication, they are extending their apologies and providing an explanation of the candidates' options.

Additionally, the GPhC is encouraging candidates to contact them if they wish to discuss these options further.

Despite the significant disruption at the London Highbury test centre, Bennetts reported that the rest of the 86 centres conducting the registration assessment experienced no significant issues.