DBS checks
Published on: 22nd July 2013 | Updated on: 2nd April 2025
Pharmacy owners may undertake Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks on their employees and guidance on how to undertake these can be found on the Disclosure and Barring Service website.
When are DBS checks required on pharmacy staff?
Essential services – there is currently no NHS regulatory requirement for pharmacy owners to have undertaken DBS checks on pharmacy staff providing Essential services.
Advanced services – there is no general NHS regulatory requirement (either in the terms of service or Secretary of State Directions) for pharmacy contractors to have undertaken DBS checks on pharmacy staff providing Advanced services.
However, where Flu vaccinations are undertaken in the patient’s own home (including a care home), pharmacy owners must ensure that vaccinators have a valid DBS certificate.
Also if NMS is undertaken in patients’ homes, they must ensure appropriate safeguarding arrangements are in place, including ensuring pharmacists have a valid DBS certificate.
Locally Commissioned Services and Enhanced Services – commissioners have the right to impose conditions for the provision of locally commissioned services. If the commissioner requires enhanced DBS checks as a pre-condition of providing a locally commissioned service, then the costs of the checks would usually be recovered either directly from the commissioner, or more likely from the income for providing the service.
Where the COVID-19 vaccination Enhanced service is provided by a pharmacy owner and vaccinations are administered to those under the age of 18 years and/or undertaken in the patient’s own home (including a care home), the pharmacy owner must ensure that the relevant vaccinator has a DBS certificate.
Pharmacy Quality Scheme 2025/26 and DBS checks
The PQS for 2025/26 includes a criterion that by the end of 31st March 2026, all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians (registered pharmacy professionals) working at the pharmacy on the day of the declaration must have undertaken an enhanced DBS check to support the safe provision of clinical services, with a certificate issued within the last three years (between 1st April 2023 and end of 31st March 2026)
The rationale for inclusion of this requirement in the PQS is to regularise the frequency of performing these checks in line with other healthcare professionals in the NHS. In due course, a similar requirement for regular enhanced DBS checks is expected to be added to the Terms of Service for pharmacy owners.
Read more about the PQS requirements
For more information on this topic please email regulations.team@cpe.org.uk
