DBS checks for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and Dispensary Staff

For compliance with General Pharmacuetical Council guidelines, all pharmacy staff must undergo thorough vetting including a DBS Check. With Personnel Checks you can ensure your pharmacy staff meet the latest safeguarding and compliance standards. From Enhanced DBS Checks to background screening bundles, we support both independent pharmacies and multi-site organisations with fast, reliable pre-employment checks.

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What DBS Checks do Pharmacists and Pharmacy Staff Need?

Generally, pharmacists and pharmacy staff are required to have an Enhanced DBS Check carried out against both the Child and Adult Workforce’s and Barred Lists. This is because anyone delivering healthcare, either directly or under the supervision of a healthcare professional, is classed as conducting regulated activity, as prescribed by the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006. However in circumstances where a staff member is not conducting regulated activity then a lower level of DBS Check may be appropriate.

Enhanced DBS Checks

Most roles in healthcare require an Enhanced DBS Check and this is true of the pharmacy sector as well. Any member of staff registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council is classed as a healthcare professional and must have an Enhanced DBS Check completed.

This includes:

Pharmacists
Pharmacy technicians
Pharmacy owners

The Enhanced DBS Check shows an individual's full criminal record history. This includes cautions, warnings, reprimands, spent and unspent convictions, an optional search of the Barred Lists, as well as any relevant notes from the police.

Basic DBS Checks

Certain roles in the pharmacy sector only require a Basic DBS Check. These are usually roles where the individual isn’t engaging in any form of regulated activity.

A Basic DBS Check is the lowest level of criminal record check available in the UK. This check provides employers with vital information about a candidate, revealing any unspent criminal history on their record.

These checks are generally for roles where no direct care or assistance is required, such as delivery drivers or back-of-office staff who do not engage with patients.

However, in some cases, higher levels of check may be required, such as the Standard DBS Check, but this is quite rare.

DBS Eligibility for Roles in the Pharmacy Sector

What DBS Check someone can apply for is dependent on eligibility. Various pieces of legislation dictate what level of DBS Check is appropriate for any given role. Most roles in pharmacies are pretty clear as for the most part, staff members are engaging in regulated activity - meaning they must have an Enhanced DBS Check. However, the eligibility criteria that determines what roles need what level of DBS Check can be extremely complex.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to criminal record screening and applying for the wrong level of DBS Check for a staff member can be a criminal offence.

If you’re unsure whether a staff member requires an Enhanced, Standard, or even a Basic DBS Check, please get in touch. Our team are more than happy to help discuss the eligiblity of your team members.

To discuss it with a member of the team, give us a call on 01254 355659, alternatively, click the button below to request a callback.

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Changes to pharmacy Screening Rules in 2026

In 2026, new compliance standards are being introduced by the Department of Health and Social Care. These standards state that “Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks [must be] undertaken for all registered pharmacy professionals within the last 3 years.”

This presents a fresh compliance challenge and extra costs for pharmacies. Fortunately, implementing a structured process for managing the DBS Update Service makes this cheaper and easier in the long-run.

Personnel Checks’ Update Service management functionality can be used as a standalone product or used in conjunction with any of our other screening products.

The DBS Update Service

The DBS Update Service is a subscription-based system designed to make managing DBS certificates easier and more efficient for individuals and their employers. This allows individuals to sign up (for a small annual fee of £16), and keep their DBS certificate up to date.

The Update Serivce can be checked instantly online by their current or prospective employer. This is known as conducting a ‘status check’. A status check will not reveal the full information on the original certificate, but provide an update about whether it’s status has changed.

As long as you have seen the original DBS Certificate, then a status check can be used instead of conducting additional DBS Checks.

Automated Status Checks

We are leaders in helping organisations manage the DBS Update Service. Our status check tool was designed to help you manage and track DBS status checks efficiently at scale.

With Personnel Checks you can:

Customise your applicants’ DBS Application journey to guide them through Update Service registration.
Automate Status Checks at a frequency that suits you.
Be notified if any of your employees’ DBS information has changed.

By automating the status checking process, you can stay on top of your compliance with ease and potentially never need to complete another DBS Check for your staff again. Saving you both time and money.

How the status checks work

Step 1: Application

Individuals complete their DBS application and receive their reference number.
Step 2: Registration

Individuals register their certificate details using the reference number or DBS certificate number to the DBS Update Service.
Step 3: Status Checks

Personnel Checks automatically run Status Checks at intervals pre-configured by you.
Step 4: Notifications

Receive notifications as and when any information about an employee’s DBS certificate has changed.

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Frequently asked questions

We would never recommend accepting a DBS Check that has been issued in another employers name. The information contained on a DBS Certificate is only valid at the time of issue. This means there is potential for new information to have been recorded on someones criminal record history in the time that’s elapsed since its issue. This is true regardless of how recently the check has been issued.
The only exception to this would be if the person you were recruiting had signed up for the DBS Update Service. However, the individual would still need to have the original certificate they signed up with and the role would need to require the exact same level of DBS Check.
If you are unsure, we would always recommend caution and carry out another DBS Check.
A criminal record check is a search carried out by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). This is why they are generally referred to as DBS Checks. The DBS check against the Police National Computer, their records and local police data to produce a DBS Certificate containing an applicants criminal record history.
The DBS also maintain the Adult’s and Children’s Barred Lists. These lists contain the names of individuals barred from working with either children, vulnerable adults or both. Enhanced DBS Checks will include a check of the relevant Barred Lists if it is appropriate considering the job role someone is applying for.
In certain circumstances, individuals may be on the Barred Lists even if they have not been convicted of an offence. This is because the DBS use a civil standard of proof known as ‘the balance of probabilities’. If the DBS believe there is enough evidence to suggest it is probable that an offence could occur in the future, they will consider putting someone on the Barred Lists.
The cost of a DBS Check varies depending on which level of check is being applied for. Our list prices are:
Basic DBS Check: £43.10
Standard DBS Check: £52.20
Enhanced DBS Check: £75.90
Volunteer DBS Check: £26.40
What you see is what you get. We have no hidden fees and we don’t charge extra for ‘fast-track’ services that don’t exist.
Prices include VAT.

DBS Checks can’t be renewed but getting new checks for existing staff is commonly referred to as a renewal. We expand on this in more detail in our knowledge hub article, here.
The general best practice is to have new DBS Checks completed every 3-years. However, certain organisations have more specific rules about this so it’s best to familiarise yourself with your own organisation’s requirements.
The DBS do run a subscription service, called the DBS Update Service. For a nominal fee (13.p.a) individuals can register their DBS certificate to the Update Service and the DBS will then keep this updated with any information.

If your staff sign up to the DBS Update Service, they can give you consent to carry out ‘status checks’ on their record. This would prevent the need for renewing your staff’s DBS Checks.
Regulated activity is work that a barred person cannot do. It refers to certain roles generally involving children and/or vulnerable adults. The vast majority of roles in the medical, healthcare or social care sectors are classed as carrying out regulated activity. This is because these roles commonly involve providing medical, social or personal care services.
The Disclosure and Barring Service have guidance booklets relating to roles in the Child Workforce, Adult Workforce and Other Workforce.
Anyone applying to become a CQC registered person within a firm must have an Enhanced DBS Check with the relevant Barred List searches completed before submitting an application. This DBS Check must be countersigned directly by the CQC. A DBS countersigned by any other body, for this purpose, will not be accepted.
Nominated individuals are not required to directly register with the CQC. An Enhanced DBS Check must still be carried out (incl. relevant Barred List searches) but this check can be carried out by a DBS Umbrella Body, like Personnel Checks.