Royal Pharmaceutical Society
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) is offering free Society membership to refugees fleeing war and conflict zones, including people coming to Great Britain from Ukraine.
The offer is for three years of complimentary associate membership of the RPS, and applies to all pharmacists, pharmacy students and pharmaceutical scientists arriving in Great Britain after fleeing current war and conflict.
The offer does not apply to people who are already settled in Great Britain.
In a statement published on 4 April 2022, the RPS said the offer was intended to “help refugees settle and practice in Great Britain, by providing full access to all our resources and support services”.
The free membership will provide access to The Pharmaceutical Journal, as well as to the Society’s pharmacy practice guidance and one-to-one professional advice service.
Paul Bennett, chief executive of the RPS, said: “We have a duty to help refugees arriving in Great Britain,” adding that the offer “may help people who are in a very difficult situation to gain independence and to work in Great Britain should they wish to do so”.
“The RPS has supported pharmacists both in Great Britain and abroad for years, and this initiative comes on the back of the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ campaign, which may see thousands of Ukrainian refugees settle here.
“We are doing our bit to support those when they need it most and will be speaking with other healthcare organisations and the All-Ukrainian Pharmaceutical Chamber to make sure every Ukrainian pharmacist travelling to Great Britain is welcomed.”
People arriving in Great Britain who wish to apply for full membership of the RPS will need to first register with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
The GPhC has said it will be “as flexible as possible to support Ukrainian pharmacy professionals by talking through individual circumstances, including financial difficulties, obtaining documents or other challenges”.
The RPS has already been providing free access to MedicinesComplete and The Pharmaceutical Journal for all healthcare professionals in Ukraine since 8 March 2022, under the World Health Organization’s ‘Research4Life‘ initiative.
Full details of how to apply for free associate membership are available on the RPS’s Ukrainian Refugee Assistance and Refugee Assistance webpages.
