Shutterstock.com
The UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board (UKPPLAB) has said it will publish “proposals for a more inclusive, effective and sustainable future for pharmacy professional leadership in the UK”, in a letter on the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS)’s transition to the Royal College of Pharmacy.
In the open letter to pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmacy trainees and students, published on 22 January 2026, the board said the proposals had been developed by its members and through “widespread engagement”.
“These have been developed by its members, and through widespread engagement, and will set out a process for future collaboration which will involve further work and consultation before it can be implemented. There will be plenty of time for further discussions during the process,” the letter said.
“[The Royal College of Pharmacy] offers a clear opportunity to co-create a unified and inclusive professional home for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, pharmaceutical scientists and pharmacy trainees and students together — for the benefit of patients and local communities.”
It added that the RPS’s transition would offer a chance to “prioritise excellence and ambition in education, innovation and research; and strengthen the collective voice of pharmacy professional leadership”.
During February and March 2026, the board has planned four webinars, in which people can discuss its proposals with board members.
Speaking to The Pharmaceutical Journal earlier in January 2026, Sir Hugh Taylor, chair of the UKPPLAB, said: “We believe that together we can find a way forward, and that will be about continuing to work collaboratively — and, crucially, taking members along with us on this journey.
“We want the result, if we can secure it, to be a more inclusive body, and that will raise questions for all the bodies that surround professional leadership and pharmacy at the moment. But those are questions that they’ll have to ask themselves and take members along with them.”
