The RPS today (March 26) announced that its “members have voted in favour by way of a special resolution vote (SRV) in support of proposed changes to the RPS’ royal charter and our transition to royal college”.
The announcement comes after a 12-day voting period on the proposals, which ended on Monday.
Read more: RPS: Legal row erupts over two-thirds vote to change charter
The RPS said that of the 19,594 members eligible to vote, only 6,144 submitted a vote, “making the voter turnout 31.4%”.
Some 71% (4,369) of respondents voted in favour of the changes, while 29% (1,775 ) voted against them, it added.
“A clear mandate”
RPS president Professor Claire Anderson deemed the vote “a clear mandate in favour of the proposals [the RPS has] put forward and for the transformative change this will bring”.
“RPS can now move forward and build the collaborative professional leadership body that pharmacy deserves,” she added.
Royal college row: RPS hits back at critics as CPhOs say ‘vote yes’
And RPS chief executive Paul Bennett said that he was “delighted with the positive result of the vote and grateful to members for their participation and support in this historic decision”.
“I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to the debate and voted in the SRV whether for or against, your participation is valued,” he added.
He stressed that developing a new strategy for the new royal college will be “a collaborative process” in which members will “play a vital role”, and that the RPS’s goal is to complete the transition by “spring 2026”.
Resignation calls
The results come after heated sector debate on the changes.
The RPS last week responded to a legal letter sent by members calling for clarity over the voting process, as well as PDA and C+D questioning on the controversial reforms.
The legal row centred around the number of votes needed to move forward with the changes – in particular whether the vote would pass with a two-thirds majority of votes cast or of all members eligible to vote.
Read more: ’Resign immediately’: RPS royal college row heats up as vote looms
Earlier this month, the Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) urged the RPS to “abandon its hastily convened ballot” and for pharmacists to vote ‘no’ if it is not called off.
And past RPS president and current English board member Martin Astbury launched a ‘Vote no’ campaign against the plans – leading him to face calls to “resign immediately”.
Read more: RPS board member resigns over royal college strategy
“If my VOTE NO campaign fails, I will resign - but if the NO votes prevail, I believe the senior leadership of the RPS should do the honourable thing and they should go,” Astbury said at the time.
The RPS has responded to the backlash, saying that it was “disappointed by the position taken by the PDA”.
Meanwhile, the four UK Chief Pharmaceutical Officers (CPhOs) also spoke out in support of the proposed changes.
