The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has published draft interim Regulations, that will support its transition to becoming the Royal College of Pharmacy and is inviting members to share their views and feedback.
Establishing new Regulations for the Royal College of Pharmacy will happen in two phases. This first phase involves publishing draft interim Regulations and holding a 60-day consultation period with members, known as ‘gazetting’, which runs from Monday 20 October to Friday 19 December 2025.
These interim Regulations are to enable elections to the new royal college structure in early 2026 and to facilitate the transfer of the Pharmaceutical Press into a subsidiary company, separate from the Royal College which will have charitable status.
This ‘gazetting’ process provides RPS members with the opportunity to review and comment on the draft interim Regulations before they are considered by the RPS Assembly for final approval and enactment in early January 2026.
All RPS members can share their views by completing this online form.
The second phase of this process is to replace these interim Regulations with new full Regulations that will govern the Royal College of Pharmacy once established. These will also be gazetted for 60 days to RPS members in early 2026, with final enactment expected in April 2026, subject to final approvals from the Charity Commission and the Privy Council.
The Regulations are a legal framework which detail the rules, guidelines and procedures as to how the organisation should be run. Regulations are closely aligned to, but separate from, its Royal Charter.
RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said:
"All members are invited to share their views on these interim Regulations. Their contributions will have a central role in the ongoing transition to a royal college and ensure that inaugural royal college elections can take place early next year.”
RPS CEO Paul Bennett said:
"This is an opportunity for members to comment on the draft interim transition Regulations, which is the first of two phases in its transition to becoming the Royal College of Pharmacy. There will be further opportunities early next year to participate in shaping the full new Regulations for the Royal College of Pharmacy.
“Feedback from this consultation will help shape the framework that enables us to hold elections for the future Royal College of Pharmacy in England, Scotland and Wales early in 2026.”
All RPS members are invited to read the draft interim transition Regulations and submit their feedback via this form.
How members can take part:
- Review the draft interim transition Regulations
- Submit feedback via the online form by Friday 19 December 2025
Take a look at the FAQs on the Royal Charter changes
Find out more about our journey to royal college status