The Royal College of Pharmacy is not simply another institution
By Sir Hugh Taylor, Independent Chair
Our March Board meeting gave us an opportunity to take stock of several months’ work in which Board members came together to produce a well-received statement and recommendations for the future of pharmacy professional leadership. That is no small achievement. It reflects a level of collaboration across organisations which previously have not been enabled collectively to march in step.
A full report of the Board meeting is provided in this month’s meeting statement.
Since the meeting, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has announced its application to become the Royal College of Pharmacy from 15 April 2026 has been approved by the Privy Council and it has shared the outcome of its first elections.
So, the future direction is set and the key people are in place. The task now is to turn plans and recommendations into reality - and that, of course, is where the real work begins.
A gateway to the next phase
This is a defining moment for pharmacy.
The moment the Royal College of Pharmacy comes into being in April represents more than just a launch or a rebranding exercise. It is the gateway to the next phase of collaborative pharmacy professional leadership in the UK.
So, how do we turn the collective statement agreed by the Board into practical action by a nascent Royal College? In other words, who does what next, and how do we sustain the collaboration that has brought us this far?
Continuing collaboration and transparency
One theme that ran consistently through the conversation was, whatever structures emerge next, collaboration and transparency must continue.
The progress so far has been built on organisations working openly with one another - testing ideas, sharing perspectives, finding common ground and occasionally challenging each other. That spirit of collective endeavour has been reinforced through transparency, including the recent series of webinars involving Board members.
At the meeting, Board members discussed the important feedback from these sessions, and agreed the webinars helped to broaden support for the Board’s recommendations on developing a more inclusive Royal College – involving pharmacy technicians, specialist professional groups, and Northern Ireland, as well as wider pharmacy team members. The energy put into engagement ensures those outside the Board are not left wondering what’s going on inside the tent.
If anything, the next phase will require even greater openness. The Royal College will need to set out on the right foot by demonstrating from the outset that it is not simply the successor to an existing organisation but a genuinely inclusive and ambitious institution benefiting the whole of pharmacy through stronger representation and a unified voice.
A Concordat committing to change
The Board agreed the next step in its roadmap is the publication of a Concordat, a document owned and signed by the Royal College of Pharmacy, the other PLBs and the SPGs, and endorsed by the Board. Its purpose will be to provide more granular detail on how this will actually work – which the pharmacy professions rightly need – and to commit the organisations to:
- Follow in good faith the three-stage inclusion process set out in the Board’s February statement, subject to consultation with members, and engagement with stakeholders, patients and the public.
- Sustain collective leadership and collaboration during Stage 1 of the inclusion process, while the other PLBs and the SPGs remain outside the Royal College.
Maintaining collective leadership
Another key question raised at the Board meeting was how to maintain visible collective leadership during this transition to Stage 2.
Board members were clear that a new edition of the Co-Creation Liaison Group would be needed. It has supported the Board’s work over the past few months, providing a private space where important discussions can take place.
This would: give visible assurance of the commitment to sustaining collective leadership and collaboration; assure the process of ongoing collaboration on current developments in pharmacy professional leadership; and provide a forum to review and discuss progress on engagement with the future strategy of the Royal College.
In practical terms, it would provide reassurance to the wider workforce that collaboration remains active, that progress towards the next stage is being monitored, and – importantly - that the work is still aligned to the principles of the Vision and Common Purpose and the published statement.
Year one: a “Royal College +”
The period following the publishing of the Concordat is where the Royal College will begin its work of leading the collaborative endeavour – enabling the Board to hand over the baton in due course.
In short, the Board is looking for a clear signal that the professions are ready to take ownership of co-creating this future for pharmacy professional leadership. That feels close. The Board could then regard its role – always an interim one – as complete. However, timing will depend on progress with the Concordat and the arrangements for assuring sustained collective leadership and collaboration and progress on the inclusion process.
The importance of trust
This recognises a simple truth: building a comprehensive Royal College cannot happen overnight. It requires time, trust and careful engagement with organisations representing different parts of pharmacy.
There has been significant effort invested in reaching this point. Organisations have worked constructively together, sometimes setting aside differences to explore a shared future.
That trust must now be maintained. We must also continue to reach beyond our own organisations: engaging with the wider community of pharmacy stakeholders and ensuring that patients and the public are consulted as this work develops, so the Royal College is shaped not only by the professions but also by the people and communities they ultimately serve.
Keeping sight of the end goal
For all the detail discussed, the Board was clear: we must not lose sight of the end goal or lose momentum on the journey to get there.
There are practical steps to take and important decisions ahead, but we must not lose our nerve or our commitment to what we are trying to achieve.
That goal is the creation of an inclusive, ambitious and collaborative Royal College of Pharmacy capable of leading and supporting everyone working in pharmacy, strengthening the professions in pharmacy and enhancing the contribution of the whole of pharmacy to patient care. We now have the biggest opportunity ever to build this professional home together and to do that we will need everyone's support.
If we succeed, the Royal College will not simply be another institution. It will be an inclusive and effective professional home for everyone in pharmacy across the UK.
