It’s been a busy and exciting time since my appointment was endorsed by the RPS Assembly in November.

Ever since RPS members overwhelmingly supported the proposal to become a royal college, the Assembly, the three country boards and the staff team have been working in depth and at pace to make that a reality.

Becoming a charity with a trustee board is the right structure for the royal college and was at the heart of the changes members voted for. But it requires approval by the charity commissioners both of England and Wales and of Scotland. They want to be assured the College is run properly and ethically and will operate for public benefit (by supporting professionals to deliver excellence in practice and patient care). At the same time, we need the Privy Council to approve changes to our Royal Charter on behalf of the King. This requires a great deal of preparation, attention to detail and compliance with legal requirements.

I’m very proud to have been appointed to be the first Chair of the Trustee Board. I’m not a pharmacy expert; fortunately the RPS is brim full of pharmacy experts. Rather, I’ve been brought in because of my expertise in running charities and experience in leading trustee boards. This is a voluntary position, not a paid post. I’m here because I care about healthcare – which I believe is at the forefront of people’s needs in a modern society – and pharmacy’s part in that.

I’m enjoying getting to know the organisation, pharmacy and pharmacists a little better. I have come to appreciate the breadth of the RPS membership, ranging from community pharmacists to those working in hospitals, primary care and industry, and pharmacy leaders from all sectors, including senior NHS managers and professors of pharmacy.

You can’t be in the company of pharmacists without being bowled over by their professionalism and dedication to serving the public. One community pharmacist said to me: ‘I studied for many years to gain my qualifications, including training after registration. And with colleagues I have built a successful business. But what really motivates me is helping people – even when I’m working at weekends or late in the evening to ensure patients get the right advice and the right medication.’

When high-profile issues arise like the winter flu surge, the safety of weight loss drugs or warnings about nasal decongestant spray dependency, they barely touch the surface of the vital work that pharmacists do in all settings, day in day out, to support the public’s health.

But unfortunately I don’t believe pharmacists have been given the attention, or held in the esteem, they deserve. I want pharmacy to have its rightful recognition as it plays a bigger role in the world of healthcare.

Our current work

I won’t take up my position as Chair of the Trustee Board until the formal creation of the College, due in the Spring. In the meantime, I’m chairing a ‘shadow board’, which Assembly has set up with delegated powers to support the transition to a royal college with charity status. This will involve overseeing the detail of the draft documents required to implement the transition process, and laying the foundations for the College’s launch.

Within the Shadow Board, alongside myself, the President and the three chairs of the National Pharmacy Advisory Boards, are three coopted members. These are: Jacob Lant, Chief Executive of National Voices – the coalition of over 200 health and social care charities in England; Kat Henderson, Audit Director specialising in the charity sector at BDO – a provider of accountancy and business services; and Richard Cryer, an expert member of RPS’s own Finance and Investment Committee, and a Trustee at the RAF Benevolent Fund. I’m delighted we have such a high-calibre team in place.

I’ve also been appointed as a Lay Member of the Assembly, giving me the chance to meet elected members from England, Scotland and Wales. I’d particularly like to single out Claire Anderson, both for her work as President, and for the support and warm welcome she has given me since my appointment.

I’ve also been highly impressed by the ability and dedication of the RPS staff team, ably led by Paul Bennett and his Deputy Karen Baxter.

I am becoming more familiar with the wider spectrum of pharmacy organisations. Much effort and thought is going into creating a greater sense of common purpose and collaboration. Meeting the impressive Sir Hugh Taylor, who is leading the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board (UKPPLAB), I realise that continuing the collaboration and building on the work of those involved in UKPPLAB, will be important to the College’s future. 

How the Trustee Board will work

While the Senate (chaired by the President) and National Pharmacy Advisory Councils will lead on professional matters, the Trustee Board will oversee the College as a charity. The role of a charity trustee board is to provide overall governance, strategic direction and legal oversight, ensuring the charity effectively serves its charitable mission and public benefit.

A majority of the up to 12 trustees will be registered pharmacists, including Senate members and the President. We will also advertise for three additional trustees to ensure we have the full range of skills needed by the Board, including specialists in finance and technology.

I was pleased to see that the inaugural College elections have been designed to be more inclusive and welcoming to a wider range of candidates. About half of UK pharmacists are from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background, and two thirds are women. The higher ranks of the NHS, of pharmacy institutions and the RPS itself do not fully reflect this. The RPS is committed to fostering greater inclusion and diversity within pharmacy and the organisation itself. This is an initiative I strongly support.

Looking to the future

Members are rightly proud of what they have contributed to their professional leadership body and what the RPS has achieved in its illustrious history. And now, following the positive member vote last year, becoming a royal college will turn the page to a new chapter.

I know there has been an extensive consultation with members and the wider pharmacy community on the future strategy for the new royal college. We will provide feedback to all those who contributed their ideas and views and I personally want to give this valuable insight the most careful consideration. This insight, and the Commitments, will be foundational as we set out our strategic objectives, and make plans on how to achieve these goals.

I am hopeful the creation of the royal college can help pharmacy take its rightful place alongside other health disciplines. There are great opportunities for us to build a stronger voice, enhance the support we offer to members, and provide professional leadership in terms of standards, training and credentialing.

I’m impressed with what I have seen so far in RPS, and I’m looking forward tremendously to meeting more people and finding out more about the world of pharmacy and its impact on patient outcomes.

Find out more about the transition to becoming a royal college.

Read more RPS blogs.