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Safety Centre
How to check a UK pharmacy is registered
UK pharmacies are registered with either the General Pharmaceutical Council (England, Scotland, Wales) or the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland. Anyone can look up a pharmacy on the public register before handing over money or medical information.
The two UK pharmacy registers
- General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) — covers pharmacies and pharmacists in England, Scotland, and Wales. Public register at pharmacyregulation.org/registers.
- Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) — covers pharmacies and pharmacists in Northern Ireland. Register at psni.org.uk.
How to use the registers
- Search by trading name, pharmacy name, or registration number.
- Confirm the registered address matches the address shown on the pharmacy website.
- Check that the superintendent pharmacist named on the pharmacy website is listed against the registration.
- Look for any conditions, restrictions, or inspection reports flagged on the entry.
What a regulated UK pharmacy website should show
- Registered pharmacy name and address.
- Pharmacy registration number (and a link to the GPhC / PSNI entry).
- Superintendent pharmacist's name and registration number.
- Internet pharmacy logo — a clickable logo that links back to the pharmacy's entry on the regulator's site.
- Clear information on prescriber arrangements for any prescription-only medicines.
- Complaints procedure and the regulator's contact details.
- A Patient Information Leaflet route for the products sold.
What is not a substitute for the register
- Customer reviews on the seller's own website.
- “Trust” logos that are not the official UK internet pharmacy logo.
- Claims of being “ISO certified” or “EU registered” without a UK pharmacy registration for UK supply.
- Social proof from influencers or affiliate review sites.
Questions to ask a pharmacy before ordering online
These are starter questions you can adapt for a GP, specialist, pharmacist, or anti-doping advisor. The aim is to help you have a better-informed conversation — not to replace one.
- What is your pharmacy registration number on the GPhC or PSNI register?
- Who is your superintendent pharmacist?
- Where will my prescription be assessed, and by whom?
- How do you verify identity and clinical suitability for a UK POM?
- What is the dispensing pharmacy's physical address?
- How do you handle complaints, returns, and suspected side-effect reporting?
Primary sources
- GPhC register of pharmacies and pharmacists — pharmacyregulation.org
- PSNI register (Northern Ireland) — psni.org.uk
[TODO: verify source URL]
MHRA internet pharmacy logo scheme — gov.uk
[Needs regulatory verification: the current MHRA / GPhC published URL for the UK common logo scheme.]