Medicine shortages
Our work to highlight how medicine shortages affect patient care, the pressures on pharmacy teams, and recommendations to inform action.
From our President Tase Oputu
On 15 April 1841, a dedicated group of London chemists and druggists came together to form a professional body. Today, 185 years later, I am immensely proud to welcome you…
What’s next for a community pharmacist prescribing service in England?
This episode of The PJ Pod reflects on the ‘Community pharmacy independent prescribing pathfinder programme’…
Credentialing
We provide a standardised credentialing framework for pharmacists’ post-registration education and training, enabling them to be recognised for their advancing professional capabilities.
News
The latest news and updates from Royal College of Pharmacy
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Royal College of Pharmacy responds to new Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework in England
Today, the outcome of negotiations for the new Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework in England was announced. Commenting on the announcement, Director for England at the Royal College of Pharmacy Amandeep Doll said: "We welcome the Government’s ambition to expand the role of community pharmacy and improve patient access to care through this latest investment of £340 million and the planned rollout of NHS-funded independent prescribing. “Enabling appropriately qualified pharmacists to assess, treat and prescribe for patients directly is a positive step towards delivering more care closer to home. It reflects the growing clinical capability of the pharmacy workforce, already demonstrated through Pharmacy First, and will improve access to treatment and the patient experience. New prescribing services must be adequately supported to avoid a postcode lottery for patient access. “Progress must not stop here, and the Government must continue to build on today’s settlement and ensure that the new generation of pharmacist prescribers can fully use their skills to support patients across care settings. Mahendra Patel, Chair of the RCPharm English National Pharmacy Advisory Council, said: “The shift to prescribing also brings greater clinical responsibility and time pressures. Its success will depend on sufficient investment in workforce training and capacity, protected time for professional development and system leadership, and strong clinical governance to ensure high standards of care. Without this, there is a risk that the ambition for prescribing in community pharmacy will not be fully realised. “It’s also vital that community pharmacies are fully integrated within local health systems and neighbourhood teams to ensure a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. “Community pharmacies continue to face considerable financial pressures and workforce challenges. Sustained investment, careful implementation of prescribing services and engagement with the community pharmacy workforce are essential to ensure future success and secure the long-term future of community pharmacy services.” Read more news stories.
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Angela Constance MSP Appointed Cabinet Secretary for Health and Care
Scotland’s newly elected first minister, John Swinney, has appointed Angela Constance MSP to be cabinet secretary for health and care. Pharmacists across Scotland are providing high-quality, person-centred care to patients every day in a variety of settings, including in hospital, GP practices and in community. Pharmacists are an integral part of healthcare in all settings, and we need to maximise the skills and potential of the profession. During the election, our manifesto themes focussed on maximising pharmacy for patient benefit. We look forward to working with the cabinet secretary and the rest of the Scottish government, and more widely across Parliament, to advance our key priorities, which include: Prioritising the integrated digital patient care record and ensuring this is available to pharmacists in all care settings, with read-and-write access; Undertaking comprehensive workforce planning for pharmacy, so we can ensure that Scotland has the right numbers of pharmacists working at any one time, across all sectors and the right skill mix to support services; Prioritising the introduction of electronic prescribing across the NHS and improving the availability of data about the environmental impact of medicines; Ensuring that protected and funded development time within the working day for pharmacists is embedded in workforce planning. The Royal College of Pharmacy will be seeking an introductory meeting with the cabinet secretary to discuss these policy priorities. Read more news stories.
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RCPharm writes to government on Learning Support Fund
The Royal College of Pharmacy has joined sector partners in urging the government to expand financial support for pharmacy students, warning that limited access to the Learning Support Fund risks creating barriers to training and future workforce growth.
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We are the Royal College of Pharmacy, the professional leadership body for pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. We exist to advance the safe and effective use of medicines, drive excellence in patient care and support pharmacists to deliver the highest standards of practice.
As the third largest workforce in healthcare, pharmacy plays a vital role in the health system, and as experts in medicines, pharmacists and their teams are central to patient care and public health. Our mission is to put pharmacy at the forefront of patient care, advancing the safe and effective use of medicines to the benefit of patients and the public.