GPhC forms Anti-Racism Champions to promote inclusivity in pharmacy

Pharmacy professionals continue to experience discrimination and racism in practice, even at the most senior levels

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has taken a significant step towards advancing its anti-racism agenda by forming a new working group of "Anti-Racism Champions."

Comprising existing GPhC Council and Executive members, the group is committed to providing visible and vocal leadership, internally and externally, to combat racism and promote inclusivity across the pharmacy sector.

The formation of this working group follows the GPhC's recent Governing Council discussion in July, which focused on the next steps in its ‘Racism in Pharmacy’ work.

This initiative is an important part of the GPhC's wider Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) strategy, aimed at proactively addressing discrimination and reducing health inequalities through the Council's regulatory influence.

The Anti-Racism Champions group includes people with lived experience of racism and allies who will help shape future action.

The group members are:

• Gisela Abbam, Chair of Council
• Ade Williams, pharmacist member of Council
• Ann Jacklin, pharmacist member of Council
• Gareth Powell, lay member of Council
• Dionne Spence, Chief Enforcement Officer and Deputy Registrar
• Louise Edwards, Chief Strategy Officer and Deputy Registrar
• Laura McClintock, Chief of Staff

The GPhC highlighted that pharmacy professionals continue to experience discrimination and racism in practice and throughout their careers, even at the most senior levels, noting that “We should all be determined to change this.”

“We want to promote and foster a workplace environment within the pharmacy profession where every individual feels valued, included, and empowered to contribute meaningfully, at all levels.

“The new group will help us drive forward our commitments in this area, holding ourselves to the same high standards we expect of others,” the regulator said.

The GPhC's next anti-racism efforts build on their earlier equality roundtables and associated reports.

The Council will be discussing our wider EDI work in public session in September, with an update on all of the activity completed in 2023/24 (Year 2) of our strategy.

The Council will further discuss its broader EDI work during a public session in September, where an update on all of the activity completed in 2023/24 (Year 2) of the strategy will be presented.