RPS raises membership fees for first time since 2010 demerger

Membership fees to rise in January 2016 for the first time in five years.

Royal Pharmaceutical Society building in London

Membership fees for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) will rise by an average of 2.7% in January 2016, the first time in five years that the charge will have increased.

The change means most members will pay around £5–6 more per year for their membership subscription from 2016. Fees ha
ve been frozen since the demerger of the RPS from the General Pharmaceutical Council in September 2010.

For members, Fellows, associates and pharmaceutical scientists, the standard fee will rise from £192 to £198, an increase of 3.1%. Those paying by annual direct debit, who receive a discount for doing so, will see their fee rise by 2.7%, from £182 to £187.

Rates for preregistration associates will increase from £70 to £72 for the standard rate and from £67 to £68 if they pay by annual direct debit.

Increases for the discounted membership fees — including those for retired or overseas members, pharmacists in their first two years after qualification or those not working — will be between 1.5% and 4.0%, depending on how members pay.

Fee changes in subsequent years will be based on the Consumer Prices Index in June. Any changes will be ratified by the RPS Assembly each July.

RPS president Ash Soni says: “The RPS Assembly thought long and hard about a fee increase at this time and we have agreed an increase that we feel accurately reflects the current value of RPS membership. I hope pharmacists will recognise this and continue to support their professional body through continued membership. We understand the pressures that pharmacists are under and want to ensure we can support them as professionals to be truly valued.”

Full details of the subscription fee changes are available here.

Last updated
Citation
The Pharmaceutical Journal, PJ, 22/29 August 2015, Vol 295, No 7876/7;295(7876/7):DOI:10.1211/PJ.2015.20069156

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