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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Christina McKelvie MSP Appointed Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy
This news story was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Scottish government has announced that Christina McKelvie has been appointed Minister for Drugs and Alcohol policy, following the resignation of Elena Whitham MSP as Drug and Alcohol Minister. Royal Pharmaceutical Society would like to put on record our thanks to Ms Whitham for working with us during her time as Drug and Alcohol Minister, and particularly for her efforts to bring in a new national service to provide emergency access to supplies of naloxone. RPS Scotland has consistently called for naloxone to be available from every community pharmacy for supply to people who use drugs, family, healthcare professionals, and for it to be available in all clinical settings for use in emergencies. This new service across the community pharmacy network is a huge step forward in achieving this, and is recommendation number one from our policy on Pharmacy’s role in reducing harm and preventing drug deaths. We know there is so much more to do to reduce harm and prevent drug deaths across Scotland and look forward to working with Ms McKelvie to take many of our policies on this forward. We will be writing to Ms McKelvie to secure an introductory meeting with her as soon as possible. Commenting on the news, Laura Wilson, Director of RPS Scotland, said: “Pharmacy teams have a huge role to play in reducing harm and preventing drugs deaths across Scotland. We’re pleased with some of the policy steps which have been taken so far, most notably the national naloxone service brought in last year, which is extremely welcome. "There is still so much to do, and we look forward to working with Ms McKelvie, and Scottish government more widely, to implement additional policies to reduce harm and prevent drug deaths.” Read more RCPharm news stories.
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Pharmacists warn of impact of prescription charges on patient care
This news story was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Pharmacists have warned they are increasingly seeing patients in England declining to take vital medicines owing to the cost of prescription charges. Responding to a survey by the Pharmacists’ Defence Association and Royal Pharmaceutical Society, 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. More than one-quarter (26%) said they saw this often. The type of medicines being declined include those for blood pressure, inhalers, pain relief, statins and mental health. The warning adds to the voices of leading patient groups calling for reform to prescription charges. The Pharmacists’ Defence Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society are members of the Prescription Charges Coalition, a coalition of more than 50 organisations including leading patient groups, calling on the Government to scrap prescription charges for people with long-term conditions in England. Chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in England Tase Oputu said: “These survey results show a worrying rise in people not taking up the medicines they have been prescribed. Amid an ongoing cost of living crisis, prescription charges risk widening health inequalities in England. “Nobody should face a financial barrier to accessing the medicines they need to stay well. Prescription charges are an unfair tax on health and increase the risk of avoidable hospital admissions, piling on pressure to the wider health service. “The prescription charges system is confusing for patients and creates unnecessary bureaucracy for pharmacy teams who want to focus their time on patient care. “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.” Read the survey results The call to scrap prescription charges in England is a vital issue in our general election manifesto. Find out how you can support the campaign at www.rpharms.com/manifesto You can also sign this petition calling on the government to freeze the annual prescription charge increase in 2024/2025
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Pharmacy First service ‘a leap forward’, says RPS
This news story was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. England’s Pharmacy First service is going live today in community pharmacies across the country as part of the government’s primary care access recovery plan. The service provides treatment for seven common conditions with medicines provided by the NHS. For the first time, patients will be able to access medicines for sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bite, impetigo, shingles and uncomplicated urinary tract infections without having to visit their GP first. Tase Oputu, Chair of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in England, said: “Pharmacy First is a leap forward in improving patient care by making treatments for a range of conditions more accessible from community pharmacies. “The expansion of clinical services not only empowers patients with greater choice on where and how they receive care, but also makes the most of the valuable skills of pharmacists and their teams. “Pharmacy teams have made an incredible effort to get the service ready alongside all the additional pressures they face. It's an exciting transformation, helping to reshape the landscape of primary care.” Pharmacy First sits alongside two other recently introduced community pharmacy services in England, a contraceptive service enabling women to get oral contraceptives directly from their pharmacist, and a blood pressure check service to help prevent heart attacks and strokes. All three services align with the 'RPS Vision for Pharmacy Professional Practice', developed with the King’s Fund, which sets out how pharmacy teams can support better patient care and address key challenges facing the nation’s health. The vision emphasises the importance of providing consistent patient-focused services through community pharmacy that enhance access to care. Tase took part in several radio interviews, including BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today programme, to discuss the service's impact and importance. Listen to the programme below: https://soundcloud.com/rpharms/bbc-radio-4-today-tase-oputu-310124-0709-hrs?utm_source=clipboardu0026amp;utm_campaign=wtshareu0026amp;utm_medium=widgetu0026amp;utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Frpharms%252Fbbc-radio-4-today-tase-oputu-310124-0709-hrs Find out why RPS Fellow and community pharmacist Reena Barai thinks Pharmacy First is a game changer. Check out our resources to help you feel confident and competent to provide national common clinical conditions services.