Members of the GPhC’s council voted to give themselves a 20 per cent pay rise at a recent meeting so that the regulator can “attract the calibre of members required”.

The proposals were approved by a vote at the May 12 council meeting. Papers released ahead of the meeting meeting set out plans to increase the annual remuneration for council members from £12,500 to £15,000, effective as of April 1 this year.

After maintaining the £12,500 rate since 2018 and deciding against an increase in 2021, the council’s workforce committee had recommended carrying out a “broader review” of pay “to benchmark against a wider range of organisations”.

An externally commissioned report found that at 36 days, the time commitment of GPhC council members is higher than many comparable organisations, while annual remuneration is lower than the median for healthcare regulators.  

At £18,000 per annum, General Medical Council members are paid the most out of six regulators highlighted in this report, while General Chiropractic Council members are paid the least at £6,650.

After considering the data, the GPhC proposed a “re-basing” exercise to ensure that remuneration “remains appropriate for members’ responsibilities and that we can continue to attract the calibre of members required”.

It considered four possible figures before proposing to set annual remuneration at £15,000, on the basis that this is the same amount paid to members of the General Dental Council. The GPhC said that while the GDC has more members, the pharmacy regulator also oversees registered pharmacy premises.

The GPhC said it recognised the 20 per cent increase was “significant” but said the recommendation was “not based on an increment approach, but with a wider view on ‘market’ positioning” in mind, with the desire to ‘future proof’ council recruitment also taken into consideration.