Members of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) have voted in favour of proposed changes that will see it become a Royal College.

A third of RPS members turned out to vote, at 6,144 voters from a total of 19,594 eligible.

Of those, 71.1% (4,369 members) voted to confirm the proposed changes to the RPS's Royal Charter.

And 28.9% (1,775 members) voted to reject them.

The RPS is aiming to finish the process of becoming a royal college by Spring 2026, it said.

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Its President Professor Claire Anderson described the vote as 'a clear mandate in favour of the proposals'.

'RPS can now move forward and build the collaborative professional leadership body that pharmacy deserves,' she said.

'Our ambition is to create greater recognition for pharmacy with the public, policy makers and other healthcare professionals and drive excellence in patient care. We believe that becoming a royal college would help us achieve these ambitions and that as the Royal College of Pharmacy we would be able to take forward the commitments we have set out,' she added.

When will the RPS become a royal college?

RPS chief executive Paul Bennett said the RPS was aiming to become a royal college by Spring 2026.

And he thanked 'everyone who contributed to the debate and voted'.

'Whether for or against, your participation is valued,' he said.

He added: 'This process [is] only the start of the journey that RPS must take, so that work begins now.'

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Mr Bennett said the RPS would now begin developing a new strategy for the new royal college. 'This will be a collaborative process in which our members will play a vital role,' he said.

The next steps will involve the Privy Council, Charity Commission, and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).

'Our goal is to complete our transition to royal college status by Spring 2026,' Mr Bennett said.

CPhOs urge professions to work together

The four UK chief pharmaceutical officers said the outcome was 'a great opportunity for a fresh start'.

And a royal college would be 'a genuine step forward for pharmacy towards the realisation of our shared ambitions; one we must all step into with confidence and renewed leadership.'

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In a joint statement, Andrew Evans, Cathy Harrison, Alison Strath and David Webb added: 'We fully anticipate a roadmap to future excellence and inclusivity as the next step.'

And they said this would underpin 'a genuine process of co-creation with wider professional leadership organisations across the UK over the coming year'.

'It is imperative that the professions work closely together with trust, openness and mutual understanding so we are able to reap the considerable benefits for all those working in pharmacy and for patients and our communities,' the chief pharmaceutical officers for Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England urged.