COURTESY OF GUY’S & ST THOMAS’ NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
The Royal College of Pharmacy offers an opportunity to transform pharmacy professional leadership for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians across the UK, according to Sir Hugh Taylor, chair of the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board (UKPPLAB).
In a blog published on 18 December 2025, Sir Hugh said that, at a meeting held on 9 December 2025, UKPPLAB had “unanimously and unequivocally” agreed that the royal college “provides a unique opportunity to achieve the board’s vision of creating a unifying and inclusive model for pharmacy professional leadership in the UK”.
“The flexibility built into their proposed governance model for the royal college from the outset opens the way for a genuinely fresh approach that is more inclusive, collaborative and adaptable,” the blog said.
“We have heard this loudly and clearly from many people: the Royal College of Pharmacy has the potential to unite us in a way we have not seen before — to provide strong, inclusive leadership for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and wider pharmacy team members, to champion clear career pathways and support excellence in medicines, research, education and patient care.”
UKPPLAB was established in 2023 to lead the implementation of recommendations made by the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership, which includes representation from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK, the Pharmacy Forum of Northern Ireland and the British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association, among others.
Taylor said that UKPPLAB hopes to publish fuller proposals in early 2026 about “how the royal college could become a more inclusive body and the strategic ambitions which the board recommends”.
However, this would be an “in principle” statement, which would not commit organisations to any formal agreements, he said.
On 11 December 2025, Taylor told The Pharmaceutical Journal: “We have to take people with us on this journey, and people have strong feelings about identity and a sense of security inside their own organisation. We recognise that we need to be flexible.
“I think, with all the change that’s coming — radical change facing the health sector — having a strong, agile, but plural royal college; one that incorporates different perspectives and helps to bring them together in a complementary, rather than an antagonistic, way is what is going to be needed for the future.”
Paul Bennett, chief executive of the RPS, commented: “We welcome Sir Hugh’s recognition of the RPS’s role in shaping a unifying and inclusive model for pharmacy professional leadership.
“As we transition to become the Royal College of Pharmacy, our commitment remains to work collaboratively across pharmacy and with partners in all four nations to ensure their aspirations are heard and to support excellence in patient care.”
In November 2025, the RPS announced Joe Irvin as the first chair of Royal College of Pharmacy’s board of trustees.
