Pharmacy DBS checks: what’s required now and what’s next

Not everything about the Pharmacy Quality Scheme (PQS) changes each year. But this year, one update stands out and it is important to get right.

If you run a pharmacy in England, you must ensure that every registered pharmacist and pharmacy technician working on your declaration day has a valid enhanced DBS certificate dated on or after 1 April 2023.

If they have signed up to the DBS Update Service, a live status check is acceptable too, as long as the original certificate meets the same date and level. If not, it is the date on the certificate that matters.

With the declaration deadline set for 31 March 2026, this requirement spans a three-year compliance period that is already in motion.

It is one of the clearer requirements this year, but the detail is where many pharmacy teams slip up.

Who needs to be covered?

According to the official PQS workbook, this applies to:

• Pharmacists
• Pharmacy technicians
• Working in your pharmacy on your declaration day

This includes part-time staff and locums. If they are working in your pharmacy on the day you submit your PQS declaration, they must be covered.

Trainees are not included in this requirement yet. But that may change in future updates. Many employers already include them in DBS checks as part of their wider safeguarding practices.

What is an enhanced DBS check?

An enhanced DBS check goes further than basic or standard checks. It includes:

• Spent and unspent convictions
• Cautions, warnings, and reprimands
• Relevant information held by local police
• Sometimes, checks against the children’s or adults’ barred lists (only for roles involving regulated activity)

Pharmacy professionals do not normally require barred list checks, unless their role involves direct, unsupervised care of children or vulnerable adults.

For PQS, the standard enhanced DBS check (without barred list checks) is what is required.

What can go wrong?

We have supported thousands of regulated employers with DBS compliance, and pharmacy teams often run into the same issues:

• The certificate is dated before 1 April 2023
• The DBS Update Service was not joined, or the check cannot be verified
• There is no audit trail, the check may exist, but there is no proof
• Locums are missed, especially when arranged at short notice

These are not malicious mistakes. But they can still block you from meeting the PQS requirement.

Why it matters

This is not just an admin task. DBS checks form part of your pharmacy’s safeguarding responsibilities, and your PQS declaration is how you demonstrate compliance.

If your checks are not in order, you risk:

• Delaying your PQS submission
• Raising concerns about your internal processes
• Facing closer scrutiny in the event of an audit

What to check now

Here is a quick checklist to get ahead:

• Are all pharmacists and technicians covered by enhanced DBS checks?
• Are those checks dated on or after 1 April 2023, or live on the DBS Update Service?
• Can you evidence each check securely and accurately?
• Do you have a process in place for new starters and locums through to March 2026?

If the answer to any of these is no or unclear, now is the time to review your DBS process.

What is next?

There is no official word yet on expanding this requirement to other roles. But the direction is clear. As pharmacy services grow, so do expectations around safeguarding and compliance.

That is why building regular DBS renewals into your wider screening programme makes sense not just for meeting today’s standards, but for staying ahead of tomorrow’s.

How we support pharmacy teams

At Giant Screening, we support healthcare employers across the UK with fast, compliant, and easy-to-manage DBS checks, along with access to a powerful suite of global screening tools all through one digital platform.

Our approach fits into your wider compliance programme, so you are not just meeting this year’s PQS requirement. You are setting the standard for the next one.