The GPhC has agreed to extend the eight-year limit for passing the registration assessment for all candidates who experienced delays or disruption, it has confirmed

Normally, pharmacist trainees must complete their initial pharmacy education and training and apply to the GPhC register within eight years to the date thatthey completed their MPharm degree.

However, a spokesperson told The Pharmacist: ‘The GPhC has agreed to extend this eight-year period for all candidates who experienced delays or disruption.’

This comes after trainees earlier this month (13 July) protested against disruption and difficulties they said they experienced during an exam sitting on 29 June, led by pharmacist and tutor Marvin Munzu.

The protest had three main requests of the GPhC:

  1. For any trainee who fails the 29 June sitting, the sitting should not count towards their total number of failed attempts.
  2. Issues raised by trainees other than ‘severe delays’ that affected their performance should be accepted as grounds to appeal if the results of the investigations confirm these issues.
  3. Trainees should only repeat the specific paper they failed for the June exam.

They had also asked the regulator to consider extending the eight-year limit for sitting the registration assessment, with some who may not feel ready to re-sit before they reach their deadline.

The GPhC has already issued several other statements detailing actions on remedying issues raised since the registration exam sitting on 29 June.

This includes allowing provisional registration for candidates who faced delays and ‘procedural issues’ - such as significant technical problems or other major disruption during the sitting - as well as a full refund and for the sitting not to count as an attempt.

As well as delays and technical issues, trainees have also flagged concerns around a difficult calculations paper; inadequate invigilation; insufficient breaks between papers; examination rooms being unfit for purpose; confusion over the use of calculators; and reasonable adjustments agreed for candidates with disabilities not being provided.