Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has published a list of asks for the next Governments of Wales and Scotland, ahead of the Parliamentary Elections both taking place in May 2026.

RPS is actively engaged in developing and advocating pharmacy and health policy across Great Britain. The Welsh and Scottish elections provide an opportunity to highlight RPS’s priorities in each of these nations to ensure a sustainable, integrated and strong pharmacy profession that delivers high quality, safe and effective care for patients.

The Scottish Manifesto asks are:

• Ensure that pharmacists in all care settings have read and write access to an integrated digital patient record
• Improve national workforce planning for pharmacy
• Enable a more sustainable approach to medicines
• Ensure time for learning and development for all pharmacists to support workforce development and enable safe delivery of services.

The Welsh Manifesto asks are:

• Utilise pharmacists’ expertise to reduce hospital admissions
• Tackle medicines waste and inappropriate disposal
• Put in place the structure and resources that enable pharmacists to maximise their skills and deliver the best possible patient care
• Secure the future sustainability of pharmacy by investing in the training, retention and recruitment of our workforce.

Whilst there are two separate manifestos, there are many key themes including enabling workforce planning for pharmacy, enabling pharmacists and their services to operate more environmentally sustainably and ensuring pharmacists, wherever they work, are supported with their continuous learning and development.

Ahead of the elections in both nations, RPS will be engaging with political parties, politicians and candidates to seek support for these asks and to ensure they have prominence across both Parliaments, which will each run from 2026 until potentially 2031.

You can read the Scottish manifesto in full, here. 

You can read the Welsh manifesto in full, here.

Speaking about the publication of the RPS Scotland manifesto, Director for Scotland, Laura Wilson, said:

“RPS has a very important role to play, by ensuring that public policy which is developed, debated and implemented meets the needs of both pharmacy teams and the public.  Any policy brought forward should enable pharmacists to practice effectively and safely, whilst making the most of their professional experience and expertise and provide patients with the highest quality care.

“Our manifesto for 2026 highlights some extremely important areas which we would like to see the next Scottish Government prioritise.  Top of our list is ensuring that every pharmacist has read and write access to a digital health and care record for their patients which can be accessed regardless of their location and which technology they are using. This will enable pharmacists to make the most of all their skills, including prescribing, and ensure patients receive high-quality, effective and safe care.

“In addition, we are also asking the next Scottish Government to improve pharmacy workforce planning, ensure that medicines are more environmentally sustainable and provide all pharmacists with learning and development time.

“I look forward to engaging with politicians from across the Parliament, and political candidates, to ensure these asks become a reality.”

Speaking on the launch of the RPS Wales manifesto, Elen Jones, RPS Director for Wales, said:

“Pharmacists must be central to health and care policy following the 2026 Senedd election and formation of a new Government. Our manifesto sets out clear, evidence-based proposals that showcase the vital clinical role of pharmacists in delivering better care and improved patient outcomes.

“These recommendations directly address the major challenges the next government will face — from tackling long waits and reducing hospital admissions to easing financial pressures on the system. But to truly unlock the potential of pharmacy, we must see continued commitment for investment in workforce support: training, recruitment, retention, and the structures needed for pharmacists to work at the top of their licence.

“Our calls are backed by years of sustained political engagement, including regular briefings for Members of the Senedd, pharmacy site visits, and party conference events. Most recently, we hosted a dedicated political briefing in July to share our manifesto priorities ahead of the summer recess.

“We’ll continue to champion these proposals, grounded in best practice and real-world impact, to ensure the voice of pharmacy is front and centre as Wales looks to the future of its health and care system.”

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