With all things going according to plan, come April 2026, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) will transform to become the brand new Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm), which will be a registered charity.
For pharmacy in Great Britain, this is indeed a new beginning after 185 years of the existence of the RPS and before it, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. At inception and with a 2026–2031 five-year strategy to be agreed on and published, the RCPharm will start on a strong footing, ensuring it begins work to ensure advancement in education in pharmacy practice and excellent patient care for the public benefit.
As a brand-new pharmacy charity, the RCPharm should collaborate and work with established pharmacy charities to support patient care, as well as its members, whether they are pharmacists, former pharmacists, trainee pharmacists or pharmacy students. Examples of these pharmacy charities are Pharmacist Support, Pharmacy Research UK, Boots Charitable Trust, British Society for the History of Pharmacy and Park Pharmacy Trust.
The new Board of Trustees, the Senate and the English, Scottish and Welsh Pharmacy Advisory Councils should ensure the commitments1 of the Royal College of Pharmacy are incorporated into its first five-year strategy. Patients will be put at the forefront of the RCPharm work, as ensuring excellence in patient care and patient safety by advancing excellent practice by RCPharm members translates to ensuring public benefit.
The RCPharm will create greater recognition for pharmacy among the relevant governments in England, Scotland and Wales by building on the current RPS engagement with government ministers in the healthcare sector, making use of well-established relationships and networks. Collaboration to shape the future of pharmacy will build on the excellent work of the United Kingdom Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board to ensure pharmacy is inclusive and there is collaboration with other membership groups, other pharmacy professionals, specialist pharmacy groups, as well as patient and public groups.
Workforce transformation support provided by the royal college will be a great membership benefit of the new royal college. RCPharm members and Fellows will benefit from professional support, post-registration credentialling and will see inclusion and diversity championed across pharmacy.
As an Assembly member who in the past two years has been involved in many meetings and discussions shaping our future royal college, I hope to be able to ensure we succeed.
Adebayo Adegbite
Candidate for the National Pharmacy Advisory Council for England
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