The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has announced proposed changes to its Royal Charter and details of an all-member vote that will pave the way for its transition to become a Royal College. The ‘Special Resolution Vote’ (SRV) of RPS members will take place between Thursday 13 March and Monday 24 March 2025.

This follows an 18 month-long process and unanimous decision by its governing body which agreed RPS should move to a structure that better supports its professional leadership activities and ambition. Draft proposals were shared and then discussed with pharmacists and the wider pharmacy community during a period of engagement Roadshow Report.

As well as being developed by these discussions, the proposed changes have also been – and will continue to be – subject to a rigorous legal process. These changes reflect a modernised corporate structure, typical of Royal Colleges, and will give RPS flexibility to lead the profession through a complex and quickly changing landscape.

The proposed changes to the Royal Charter outline that:

• RPS seeks to become a Royal College – the Royal College of Pharmacy
• RPS seeks to become a charity
• RPS creates a wholly owned (limited) subsidiary for its publishing activities

Which would result in the following changes to RPS governance:

• Under charity law, RPS must create a Trustee Board to run the charity, which will also take on all legal and financial responsibilities. These are currently the responsibility of the Assembly
• The Assembly will retain its oversight on all professional matters, at a GB level. However, to recognise these changes the Assembly will be renamed Senate
• As health is a devolved issue, the National Pharmacy Boards will remain responsible for policy and be elected by the membership, however to avoid confusion in naming with the Trustee Board, these will be renamed National Councils.

The proposed Charter changes have been published on the RPS website.

In addition, RPS has today also published the full wording of the SRV on its website. This comprises of two elements (i) the proposed amends to RPS Royal Charter and (ii) changing its name to the Royal College of Pharmacy. A single vote covers both elements of the resolution.

All full members [those able to use MRPharmS and FRPharmS post nominals] will be invited to take part in the SRV which will open at 9am on Thursday 13 March and will close at 5pm on Monday 24 March 2025. Anyone wishing to take part in this historic vote to shape the future professional leadership body for pharmacy must be a full member by Friday 28 February 2025.

RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said:

“Following a period of intense engagement on our draft proposals and while continuing to follow the necessary legal processes, I’m delighted to have reached this milestone of sharing the proposed changes to our Royal Charter and more clearly setting out the path to become a royal college, ahead of an all-member vote.

“The proposed Charter changes are designed to empower RPS to deliver on its strategy and ambitions as the professional leadership body for pharmacy. The modernised Charter will ensure we have the agility needed to represent and lead the profession through transformational change and into the future.”

RPS Chief Executive Paul Bennett said:

“These changes to our Charter will provide us with a robust foundation to champion the profession, support our members and advance patient care. Through them we are creating an organisation that is fit for the challenges of the 21st century, ensuring we remain at the forefront of innovation and professional leadership.”

Join our webinar on Wednesday 19 February, 7-8pm to hear more about the detail of the proposed changes to the Royal Charter and what they mean. Register here. 

Find out more about the newly proposed Charter here, including a summary and a quick guide to what they mean.

Read more about our proposals for change.