A vote to create a potential Royal College of Pharmacy needs to be called off as the current proposals would lead to “irreversible change to the identity and purpose” of the sector’s professional leadership body, according to the Pharmacy Defence Association (PDA).
From March 13th to March 24th, The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s members will take part in a Special Resolution Vote (SRV) which seeks to amend the Society’s Royal Charter to facilitate its transition to a Royal College and registered charity.
This significant step, which came following an 18-month independent review of the RPS constitution and governance, aims to strengthen the RPS’s leadership role, with the ultimate goal of delivering greater benefits to patients and the public.
However, the PDA has warned that it will advise its members to vote ‘no’ as the current proposals will "change the very nature of why the RPS was set up".
“The proposed changes, by their very nature, will not only affect current RPS members, but will impact upon the practicing landscape of all pharmacists,” the PDA said in a statement.
“The PDA believes that to legitimise any such proposed change, the RPS must first raise awareness of the proposals to a far greater extent amongst pharmacists and allow them to have an informed debate as well as to enable them to consider alternative options.
“It should also deal with the concerns being expressed. Above all, it should not be trying to rush through a hastily convened ballot which commences on March 13th.”
The PDA carried out a survey which involved just over 2000 pharmacists, a mixture of both RPS and non RPS members, to garner widespread opinion on the proposals.
It said the results demonstrate that the levels of awareness on this important issue are nowhere near adequate to justify the holding of the ballot at this time as 67 per cent of respondents said they felt “not very well” or “not at all” informed about the proposals.
The PDA revealed it had met with the senior leadership of the RPS on two separate occasions but said it had not emerged from these meetings with a “full understanding of the RPS’s vision for the future, nor how they saw themselves working collaboratively alongside other organisations in the pharmacy ecosystem for the wider benefit of all pharmacists”.
“The RPS proposals involved changing the RPS into a charity whose principal objective would be to act in the public interest. The previous objective to safeguard, maintain the honour, and promote the interests of pharmacists, would be lost,” said the PDA.
Helen Morgan's letter to Health Secretary, Wes Streeting.