Wes Mountain
The UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board (UKPPLAB) will cease operations in July 2026 and hand over its recommendations for an “ambitious and inclusive” Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm) to the organisations who were represented on the Board, it has announced.
A ’Concordat for delivery’ published on 25 June 2026 and signed by representatives of seven pharmacy bodies, including the College, has set out “four key pre-requisites for co-creating an ambitious and inclusive royal college as a wider home for pharmacy by 2030”.
“[The UKPPLAB] has concluded that having unanimously agreed a way forward for pharmacy professional leadership, it should be for the professional leadership organisations themselves to own and deliver that future as set out in this concordat, which it has endorsed,” it added.
The concordat noted that the pre-requisites include adopting the principles laid out in UKPPLAB’s ‘Vision and common purpose for pharmacy professional leadership’, published in February 2026, as well as following a “three-stage inclusion process”, which could lead to the College incorporating pharmacy technicians, pharmacists in Northern Ireland and specialist professional groups.
However, this would be subject to consultation, the UKPPLAB said.
According to the concordat, other pre-requisites involve engagement with the College in the development of a “bold, ambitious new strategy for the future”, as well as “sustained collaboration” with bodies that currently are not part of the College.
The collaboration will happen through the formation of two new groups. The Alliance of Pharmacy Expert Groups (APEX) will include the British Oncology Pharmacy Association, the College of Mental Health Pharmacy, the Primary Care Pharmacy Association, the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association and others, which will focus on policy development, it said.
The concordat highlighted that the other new group will be a Co-Creation Liaison Group (CCLG) hosted by RCPharm, which will include the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK, the Pharmacy Forum Northern Ireland and APEX.
The group’s remits will include supporting, reviewing and communicating progress towards stage two of the inclusion process, as well as supporting engagement with the future strategy of the royal college, it added.
Speaking to The Pharmaceutical Journal in January 2026, Sir Hugh Taylor, independent chair of UKPPLAB, said: “We’d like to do ourselves out of a job as quickly as possible. I would love to see pharmacy working together to really secure a strong future leadership.”
Commenting on the concordat on 25 June 2026, Sir Hugh said: “It has been a privilege to work alongside leaders from across the professions and four countries to help shape this new, collaborative future for pharmacy professional leadership.
“The signing of the ‘Concordat for delivery’ means the Board has achieved its goal, transforming a shared ambition into a formal commitment to deliver on agreed plans. It demonstrates that the pharmacy professions are taking charge of their own future and reflects the collective determination of professional leaders across pharmacy to build a more collaborative, inclusive and sustainable future.
“We all recognise that delivering this ambition will require ongoing flexibility, purpose, commitment and meaningful consultation and engagement across the UK. But with the broad support generated through the Board’s work, I feel confident the opportunity is within grasp.”
Tase Oputu, president of the RCPharm, said: “This concordat is a significant moment for pharmacy professional leadership, and we commend the Board, under Sir Hugh’s leadership, for their ambition and shared commitment to working collaboratively toward a unified future that benefits professionals and the public.
“The concordat hands the baton to member organisations to make that unified future a reality, and I particularly welcome the clear articulation of UKPPLAB members’ shared pledge to co-creating an ambitious and inclusive royal college as a wider home for pharmacy.”
Oputu added: “The concordat sets out a vision and an ambitious timeline for an inclusive future in which pharmacy technicians are part of the royal college, a change which would require a positive special resolution vote by College members.
“Ahead of launching such a vote, we will need to be clear with our members and pharmacy technicians how we would protect distinct professional voices and create clear arrangements for equity and governance.”
The College said that it would shortly be announcing a programme of engagement, to begin in autumn 2026.
