The Government has enacted legislation that guarantees qualifications held by EEA-qualified and Swiss pharmacists  and pharmacy technicians that are currently recognised by the UK will continue to be so under a near-automatic system from January 1 2021.

The systems of recognition will last for up to two years for those who hold qualifications awarded in the European Economic Area (EEA), and for four years in the case of Swiss nationals. The process of recognition will be reviewed by regulators, including the General Pharmaceutical Council, before the end of 2022.

The government has also published guidance for EEA-qualified and Swiss healthcare professionals who wish to practise within the UK after Brexit. An individual’s eligibility for having their healthcare qualification recognised under this process by a UK regulator does not depend upon their nationality or country of residence.

The GPhC has updated its Q&A pages for pharmacists and pharmacy owners to reflect the new guidance.

From 1 January 2021 the UK will no longer register EEA-qualified healthcare professionals for temporary and occasional (T&O) services. Since the UK will no longer have access to the Internal Market Information (IMI) system, applications for the European Professional Card (EPC) can no longer be processed by UK regulators.