Dave Phillips
A total of 12 people have taken up free Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) membership under a scheme to support people arriving in Great Britain after fleeing war and conflict.
Ten of those pharmacists come from Ukraine, one comes from Sudan and one is from Syria.
Under the scheme, which was launched in April 2022, pharmacists, pharmacy students and pharmaceutical scientists are entitled to three years of complimentary associate membership if they arrive in Great Britain as refugees who have experienced war and conflict in their home countries.
Membership includes access to The Pharmaceutical Journal, RPS pharmacy practice guidance and its one-to-one professional advice service
The scheme applies to those newly arrived after April 2022 and does not include people who had already settled in Great Britain prior to this date.
Announcing the scheme earlier this year, the RPS said: “This offer is to help refugees settle and practice in Great Britain, by providing full access to all our resources and support services.”
Paul Bennett, chief executive of the RPS, said at the time: “We have a duty to help refugees arriving in Great Britain.”
The RPS has also made access to MedicinesComplete and The Pharmaceutical Journal free to all healthcare professionals in Ukraine, under the World Health Organization initiative Research4Life.
Full details of how to apply for free associate RPS membership are available on the RPS’s Ukrainian Refugee Assistance and Refugee Assistance webpages.
The General Pharmaceutical Council has encouraged Ukrainian pharmacy professionals who wish to register with them to get in touch for advice and support.
