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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Renew or join by 28 February to vote on Royal College status says RPS
RPS is urging pharmacists to renew their membership (if it is due) by 28th February 2025, or to join by that date, to be eligible to take part in the upcoming Special Resolution Vote on its proposals for change to become the Royal College of Pharmacy.
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Foysol Choudhury MSP visits Barnton Pharmacy, Edinburgh
This news story was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. On 17 February 2025, Foysol Choudhury MSP for Lothian, visited the pharmacy team at Barnton Pharmacy in Edinburgh to witness the fantastic work they are doing to provide care to their local community. The visit was organised by Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) in Scotland. Foysol met pharmacy manager, Leanne Carey, who has owned and run Barnton Pharmacy for 15 years. Leanne spoke about the fantastic one-to-one care which she provides to her patients. As an independent prescriber, Leanne offers her patients direct access to medicines for common conditions as appropriate, saving them time whilst also reducing pressure on local GP practices. Foysol also met with Glenn Davie, who has led on Barnton’s implementation of the Daffodil Standards for Community Pharmacy. The standards were developed by RPS in conjunction with Marie Curie, to support community pharmacies to offer the very best palliative, end-of-life and bereavement care to patients, families and carers. Fiona McIntyre, policy and practice lead at RPS explained the role of RPS in providing professional support to pharmacists working in all sectors and outlined some of RPS’s policy priorities, including, enabling pharmacy access to patient records, environmental sustainability and ensuring funding and training routes are in place to secure a continual pipeline of pharmacists entering the profession in Scotland and ultimately sustaining pharmacy for the future. Speaking about the visit, Foysol Choudhury MSP said: “This was a fantastic opportunity to witness first-hand the great work which the Barnton Pharmacy team is engaged in daily. I was really impressed to hear about the range of high-quality services which the team offers patients on a walk-in basis, from independent prescribing to palliative and end-of-life specialist support. In order that the pharmacy team can continue to deliver these services on behalf of the community, it is vital that the right infrastructure and support is in place to enable the team to provide the very best care. This includes enabling community pharmacists to have access to patient records; and ensuring funding is in place for pharmacy team workforce development, from funding for teaching and training prescribers to ensuring a healthy pipeline of pharmacy graduates for the future. I look forward to campaigning on these issues with my colleagues in the Scottish Parliament, to enable pharmacy to continue to provide a fantastic service for patients across Barnton, Lothians and across the whole of Scotland.” Read more RCPharm news stories.
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New RPS report unveils ‘roadshow’ debates about its proposals for change
This news story was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has published a report which captures the conversations and questions that were a key part of 15 ‘roadshow’ events held across Great Britain in October and November to outline and discuss its proposals for change and ambition to become a royal college. The roadshows were hosted by the RPS leadership team and elected officials, and were attended by pharmacists, foundation trainees and pharmaceutical scientists (members and non-members) who heard about the detail of the RPS’ proposals, shared their insights, raised important questions, and explored the implications of the proposed changes. The Roadshow Report captures the key themes raised during these sessions, and at other related online events, and seeks to help attendees and non-attendees understand the reasons behind the changes being proposed and what conversations took place. As well as an outline of the changes, key themes covered in the report include: Impact of the proposed changes; Membership of the new Royal College of Pharmacy; Professional leadership and collaboration; Credentialing; What the proposed changes would mean for particular groups of pharmacy professionals; RPS’s wider work. RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said: "These roadshows have provided an invaluable opportunity to connect with members and non-members and hear their thoughts about the proposed changes, and what becoming a royal college would mean to them and for pharmacy. “We are grateful for the enthusiasm, insights, and constructive feedback shared by everyone who came to one of the events. This dialogue is vital as we move forward with our proposals for change and seek to elevate pharmacy and champion our collective impact on patient care.” You can continue contributing to the conversation about RPS ambitions to become a royal college through [email protected] Read the Roadshow Report. Find out more about our proposals to become a royal college. Read our FAQs. Read more news stories.
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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.