Seven pharmacists removed from register for ‘non-payment of fees’
Some seven pharmacists have been removed from the Northern Irish pharmacy register at once, it has revealed.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has announced the removal of seven pharmacists from its register “due to non-payment of fees for the year 2024/25”.
All seven pharmacists, whose names can be found on the PSNI website, were removed yesterday (September 23), the regulator said.
The PSNI told C+D today that pharmacists leave its register for a number of reasons.
These can include voluntary removal, removal for non-payment of retention fees or removal for non-compliance with continuing professional development (CPD) obligations, it added.
Pharmacists can also be struck off in the case of failure to provide information, the death of a registrant member or on direction from the statutory committee, it said.
The PSNI added that the pharmacists’ removal was “processed under Article 15(3) of the pharmacy (Northern Ireland) order 1976”.
CPD “non-compliance”
It comes after ten pharmacists were removed from the register by the PSNI over "non-compliance" with CPD rules last month.
At the time, a PSNI spokesperson told C+D that the regulator could not discuss details of any individual case.
But they stressed that the PSNI CPD framework provides a clear guide to how pharmacists can comply with their obligation to complete the required minimum hours of CPD annually.
They added that the PSNI is "delighted that practically all of the pharmacists registered with [it] have complied with the requirements to submit their CPD portfolios for the 2023/24 period”.
Meanwhile, the PSNI last week revealed that it had failed to appoint a permanent chief executive after a “recent competition”.
The regulator said that it was “unfortunately unable on this occasion to recruit a suitable candidate” but would “resume [its] efforts” to fill its leading role.
At the time, a spokesperson for the PSNI told C+D that the “recruitment process is ongoing”.
