Welcome to the Royal College of Pharmacy
We’ve changed. You may know us as the Royal Pharmaceutical Society — on 15 April 2026, we became the Royal College of Pharmacy.
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.
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News
The latest news and updates from Royal College of Pharmacy
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Professor Ryan Donnelly awarded 2024 RPS Harrison Medal
This news story was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. We’re pleased to announce that Professor Ryan Donnelly has been awarded the RPS Harrison Memorial Medal for 2024 for his outstanding contribution to advancing pharmaceutical science. The medal is awarded every two years, in memory of the distinguished pharmaceutical chemist Col EF Harrison. Professor Ryan Donnelly is Chair in Pharmaceutical Technology at Queen’s University Belfast’s School of Pharmacy and Director of Research. A registered pharmacist, his expertise lies in developing advanced polymeric drug delivery systems for transdermal and intradermal drug delivery, aimed at improving patient outcomes. Collaborating with major pharmaceutical companies, he is developing a range of novel microneedle technologies. His work has attracted over £30m in funding and he has authored more than 1,000 peer-reviewed publications, including patent applications, textbooks, book chapters and full papers. He also leads a diverse research team of 50 individuals from 15 different countries and has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international conferences. His contributions have earned him prestigious awards, including the International Association for Pharmaceutical Technology Research Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Pharmaceutical Sciences (2024) and the Kydonieus Foundation Transdermal Delivery Award (2024). Professor Donnelly also won the European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics Most Cited Paper Award in 2023, Visit Belfast’s Ambassador Award for Life and Health Sciences in 2022, and many more throughout his career. As Europe/Africa Editor of Drug Delivery and Translational Research, Professor Donnelly continues to shape the field with his groundbreaking research and commitment to pharmaceutical science. Professor Donnelly said: “I am delighted to receive this great honour from RPS. As a pharmacist, my work has always focused on harnessing the pharmaceutical sciences to develop drug and vaccine delivery systems that can enhance therapeutic outcomes for patients. That these efforts have been recognised by such a prestigious award emphasises the importance of the application of scientific knowledge by the pharmacy profession.” Professor Parastou Donyai, RPS Chief Scientist said: “It is a real pleasure to announce Professor Ryan Donnelly as the 2024 RPS Harrison Medal winner. Professor Donnelly is a world leader in the field of drug delivery. His novel inventions have the potential for genuine impact, and his publication record, substantial research funding, and investment in developing others attest to his authority and distinction. Professor Donnelly is a credit to pharmaceutical science and the whole of the profession of pharmacy.” More on the Harrison Memorial Medal. Read more RCPharm news stories
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His Majesty The King becomes new Patron of RPS
This news story was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. We are proud to announce His Majesty The King has agreed to become the new Patron of Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS). Buckingham Palace confirmed the news to mark the first anniversary of the Coronation of His Majesty The King and Her Majesty The Queen. It follows a thorough analysis of over 1,000 Patronages of The late Queen, The former Prince of Wales and The former Duchess of Cornwall. We have a long association with the Royal Family through The late Queen, who was Patron of RPS from 1953 until her death in 2022. Her father, George VI, was Patron of RPS from 1937-1952. Claire Anderson, president of RPS, said: “We are hugely proud that His Majesty The King has chosen to be our patron, following in the footsteps of The late Queen and her father, George VI. We are grateful to the Royal Family for their ongoing support.” Paul Bennett, chief executive of the RPS, said: “It is an honour to have His Majesty The King as our new Royal Patron. We look forward to continuing our work to highlight the vital contribution pharmacy teams make to patient care across Great Britain with the patronage of His Majesty.” Find out more about the history of RPS. Read more RCPharm news stories.
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Prescription charge price hike harms patients, says RPS
This news story was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Responding to the news that prescription charges in England will rise from £9.65 per item to £9.90 from 1 May 2024, and the 12-month Prescription Prepayment Certificate will also increase from £111.60 to £114.50, Tase Oputu, Chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) in England, said: "Amid an ongoing cost of living crisis, the rise in prescription charges in England will hit working people on low incomes the hardest. “Every day pharmacists are asked by patients who are unable to afford all the items in their prescription which ones they could 'do without'. Patients shouldn’t have to make choices which involve rationing their medicines. No one should face a financial barrier to getting medicines which a health professional has prescribed as necessary. “The consequences of the relentless rise in prescription charges are well-known. If you can’t afford your medicines, your condition can worsen which leads to poor health, lost productivity and increases the risk of hospital admission, piling pressure on the NHS. “Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. If they were free in England too then no one would have to worry about payment decisions affecting their health. “In a general election year, I hope that political parties can commit to properly reviewing this complex and unjust system. It is high time this stealth tax was abolished.” A recent survey of pharmacists by RPS and the Pharmacists' Defence Association showed that more than one-third of pharmacists (35%) said they have seen an increase in patients declining prescriptions in the past 12 months. The vast majority of respondents (97%) have seen cases where patients decline some of the medicines on a prescription owing to cost, one-quarter (26%) of whom said they saw this often. Prescription charges are one of the key issues in our general election manifesto. Find out how you can support the campaign at www.rpharms.com/manifesto. Read more RCPharm news stories.