Royal Pharmaceutical Society
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has announced it will commission a full external review of its constitution and supporting governance structures, as part of what it calls its “evolution as the professional leadership body for pharmacy”.
In a press release published on 28 February 2023, the Society said the review would consider “what structures would be needed to welcome other professional groups that may wish to join us into the organisation, how to make patient insight integral to RPS strategy, clear pathways for delivery of assessment, credentialling and education services and the implications of possibly moving to charitable status or some other legal structure”.
“The review will [also] include recommendations to ensure how the corporate and governance structure could deliver most effectively on these questions,” the statement said.
An invitation to tender for the review, published by the RPS on the same day, said that the Society has “with some modest modifications, worked with its current corporate and governance structures since 2010 without a truly independent external review”.
“The organisation is finding that this structure and governance is not constituted in a way that supports the operation of an agile organisation that is becoming increasingly technological and wishes to be more transparent in its operations and ambitious in its vision.”
The invitation added that the Society remains “committed to our current mission and vision”, and wants to “create a more transparent organisation, with public interest at the forefront of what we do”.
Commenting on the review, Paul Bennett, chief executive of the RPS, said: “The recent independent review into membership participation and communication we commissioned identified that our current governance structures mean the way the organisation operates often seems opaque.
“This resonates with various motions tabled at our AGM last year calling for greater transparency and different ways of working across a number of our governance structures.
“The UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership has also usefully highlighted key questions about pharmacy professional leadership across the UK.
“To best serve both members and the profession, now is the right time to undertake a robust, independent review of both the constitution and governance structures of the organisation to ensure we are fit for the future to deliver for pharmacy.”
The invitation to tender will remain open until 18 March 2023. The RPS said it would like the review process to begin no later than May 2023.
