1. Background

Since 2012, the Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm) has published professional standards for NHS and independent (private) sector pharmacy services in hospital, mental health, private, community service, prison, hospice and ambulance settings. They apply whether services are provided internally or outsourced.

A key function of a professional leadership body is to provide professional standards that are supportive and enabling, but professionally challenging. 

There is a clear requirement for providers of pharmacy services to use them to improve and develop services that are safe and put the needs of people first. Professional standards are consistent with and complement relevant legal framework requirements as well as the minimum standards currently required by systems regulators, professional regulators, and insurers and may be used to help inform them. 

While they are not mandatory, they are developed and owned by the profession, and set out what constitutes ‘good’ in terms of practice, systems of care, and working practices.

2. Why the Standards were updated

This refresh of the Professional Standards for Hospital Pharmacy Services was triggered automatically from the review date of the 2017 version of the Standards.

Since the 2017 Standards, there have been various changes which needed to be included in the refresh, which include:

• An increasing drive towards integrated care
• Being more agile in how services are provided
• Utilising the whole workforce and technology
• New initial education and training standards for pharmacists.

Due to the current healthcare climate and rapid changes occurring, a decision was made that these Standards should be considered for review again in 2024.

3. Summary of changes made to the Standards

There have been improvements and amendments to the 2022 Standards, including:

• Overview of changes to the Standards
• Deleting supporting statements where duplication was apparent
• Adding new statements or modifying existing supporting statements to include omissions identified through the literature review
• Restructuring some of the supporting statements where additions became apparent as the Standards were updated
• Light editing for clarity, brevity, or consistency of terminology
• Addition of new descriptors – research and wellbeing.

Overview of changes

For details of changes made in comparison to the 2017 Standards, please see our Hospital Standards Refresh Comparison to 2017.

4. How the Standards were updated

The review involved initial strategic support and engagement with the RCPharm Hospital Expert Advisory Group (HEAG). They concluded the 2017 Standards were broadly fit for purpose, based on a literature review and extensive use of the framework in practice, and confirmed the need for an update and refresh. An external task and finish group, with representation from across GB, was set up to guide the refresh process.

The task and finish group contained representatives from:

• HEAG
• Regional Chief Pharmacists
• Chief Pharmacists
• Clinical Fellows
• Regulators
• Professional organisations
• Lay representatives.

These were from across England, Scotland and Wales. The group was chaired by Rob Duncombe, and all members of the task and finish group were asked to declare conflicts of interest, which were managed in line with RCPharm policy.

The review timelines are listed below.

5. Development process and timeline

• September 2021 – Scoping refresh with HEAG.
• November 2021 – Survey to explore views, usage, experience and appropriateness of standards.
• January 2022 – HEAG agrees refresh approach.
• February 2022 – Task and finish group assembled; literature review undertaken.
• March – June 2022 – Task and finish group meeting one to four (review of Domains).
• July – August 2022 – Open consultation (six weeks); supporting tools updated.
• September 2022 – Consultation analysed and comments incorporated.
• October 2022 – Standards finalised; endorsements requested; sent to designers; updated website; launch planned.
• November 2022 – Standards published on RCPharm website.

6. Literature review

A literature review was undertaken in December 2021 to identify key changes and evidence relating to key service developments and changes to the hospital pharmacy landscape since the publication of the 2017 Standards.

7. Who updated the Standards: acknowledgements

Task and finish group for the 2022 review

Name	Role/Affiliation	Representing
Rob Duncombe*	Chair of T&F Group Chief Pharmacist, The Royal Marsden	HEAG
Melinda Cuthbert*	Associate director of pharmacy, NHS Lothian	HEAG
Catherine Picton*	Consultant	HEAG
Karen Harrowing*	Quality Systems & Pharmacy Consulting	HEAG
Ngozi Onyele	Pharmacist specialist	CQC
Sue Ladds	Regional chief pharmacist – South East, NHSE&I	Regional Chief Pharmacists
Uzo Ibechukwu	Chief pharmacist, Royal United Hospital Bath	Chief Pharmacist (Non HEAG)
Jagjot Chahal	Clinical fellow, NHSE&I	Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Clinical Fellow
Aileen O’Hare	Clinical fellow, GPhC	Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Clinical Fellow
Marian Salek	Clinical fellow, NHSE&I	Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Clinical Fellow
Ravijyot Saggu	Clinical fellow, NHSE&I	Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Clinical Fellow
Denise Rosembert	Clinical fellow, SPS	Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Clinical Fellow
Kalveer Flora	Clinical fellow, LPP	Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Clinical Fellow
Stephanie Ghartey	Clinical fellow, NHSE&I Transformation Directorate	Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Clinical Fellow
Fatema Jessa	Clinical fellow, NICE	Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Clinical Fellow
Mary Rehman	Clinical fellow, NHS Digital	Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Clinical Fellow
Natasha Callendar	Future practice advisor, NHSE&I	NHSE&I
Alison Bell	Lead pharmacist, Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary	National Acute Pharmacy Subgroup (NAPS), Scotland
Dianne Burnett	National Lead for Medicines Information, Wales	UKMI
Lisa Forey	Head of pharmacy – Operational Services, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board	Welsh Chief Pharmacists Group
Judith Green	MSO/Governance Lead, Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board	Hospital employees
Claire Steele*	Head of pharmacy medicines supply & quality, NHS Fife President of APTUK	APTUK
Mohamed Rahman	Chief pharmacist and clinical director of medicines optimisation, Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Trust, chair of UKCPA	UKCPA
Pavitar Gandham	Lead pharmacist for medicines optimisation (SWFT and GEH) and UKCPA director	UKCPA
Dipak Vaidya	Group chief pharmacist for Aspen Healthcare Chair of the Independent Sector Chief Pharmacist Group	Independent healthcare providers
Peter Hawkes	Lay representative
Nigel Westwood	Lay representative

^*Also members of RCPharm HEAG

RPS Staff

Name	Role
Sarah Crawshaw	Lead author & Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Clinical Fellow 21/22
Wing Tang	Interim associate director, pharmacy membership & experience
Regina Ahmed	Guidance manager, professional standards team
Amandeep Doll	Head of professional belonging
Heidi Wright	Practice & policy lead, England
Stuart Carter	Digital content lead (external comms)

RCPharm Hospital Expert Advisory Group (HEAG)

With thanks to the following members of the RCPharm Hospital Expert Advisory Group who supported this refresh.

Name
Jatinder Harchowal	Oweikumo Eradiri
Roger Fernandes	Raliat Onatade
David Campbell	Graeme Richardson
Yousaf Ahmad	Tracy Rogers
Melanie Bryan	Paula Russell
Mark Borthwick	Rahul Singal
David Cook	Steve Tomlin
Andrew Davies

Consultation respondents

Scottish Pharmacy Quality Assurance Group

Name	Role
Ahmed Al-Nagar	Chief operating officer
Alison Brailey	Chief pharmacist on behalf of Chesterfield Royal Hospital
Amanda Duggan	Pharmacy manager
Andrew Down	Deputy chief pharmacist and non-medical prescribing Joint Lead
Arlene Shaw	Lead clinical pharmacist
Caroline Parker	Consultant mental health pharmacist
Dr Paul Buckley	Chief pharmacist
College of Mental Health Pharmacy and Pharmacy Declares
East London NHS Foundation Trust
Elizabeth Hackett	Principal pharmacist for medicines information
Emma Cramp	Lead pharmacist for professional development, Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Emma Kirk	Lead medication safety pharmacist – SPS
Fiona Ashworth	Lead pharmacy technician for education and training
Graeme Kirkpatrick	Head of patient safety (advice & guidance) – NHS England
Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Medicines and Pharmacy Team
Hugo Leung	Clinical pharmacist – Emergency and acute medicine, Barts Health NHS Trust
James Baker	Principal Pharmacist for Medicines Optimisation
Joela Matthews	Pharmacist
Joseph Wilson	Pharmacist
Michael Marven	Chief pharmacist on behalf of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
Mo Azar	Chief pharmacist on behalf of Alder Hey NHS Foundation Trust Pharmacy Department
Nigel Gooding	Consultant pharmacist (neonates & paediatrics)
Paula Thoms	Pharmacy technician
Pauline Lockey	Patient safety clinical lead (medication safety) – NHS England
Ruth Brown	Chief pharmacist, Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
Stephen Jones	Chief pharmacist on behalf of Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Susan Watkins	Chief pharmacist, Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust
Tony Jamieson	Clinical improvement lead (Medicines Safety Improvement Programme) – NHS England

8. Who endorsed the Standards

The Standards have been endorsed by professional bodies representing hospital pharmacy services. We will continue to publish and maintain the Standards in collaboration with these and other organisations.