The
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) was formerly the statutory regulatory and professional body for
pharmacistPharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
s and
pharmacy technicianA pharmacy technician, also sometimes known as a pharmaceutical technician, is a health care worker who performs pharmacy related functions, generally working under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist or other health professional...
s in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
,
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. In September 2010, the regulatory powers of the Society were transferred to the newly formed
General Pharmaceutical CouncilThe General Pharmaceutical Council is the body responsible for the independent regulation of the pharmacy profession within England, Scotland and Wales, responsible for the regulation of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy premises...
(GPhC), while the RPSGB retained its professional leadership role; however its name was changed to
Royal Pharmaceutical SocietyThe Royal Pharmaceutical Society is the body responsible for the leadership and support of the pharmacy profession within England, Scotland and Wales...
(RPS) and the "Great Britain" part of the name was dropped.
Statutory role
Before the establishment of the GPhC and the transfer of regulatory power, the primary objectives of the RPSGB was to lead, regulate, develop and promote the pharmaceutical profession. All
pharmacistPharmacists are allied health professionals who practice in pharmacy, the field of health sciences focusing on safe and effective medication use...
s in
Great BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
had to be registered with the Society in order to practice, and the Society was unusual amongst healthcare regulators that it had its own inspectorate. To become a member of the Society an individual usually had to complete a MPharm or (if graduating before 2000) a BPharm or
BScBSC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:Science and technology* Bachelor of Science , an undergraduate degree* Base Station Controller, part of a mobile phone network; see: Base Station subsystem...
(pharmacy) degree, 52 weeks of pre-registration training and pass a registration examination. This gave them the right to use the
post-nominal lettersPost-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles or designatory letters, are letters placed after the name of a person to indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, accreditation, office, or honour. An individual may use several different sets of...
MRPharmS (Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society) and to practice as pharmacist in Great Britain.
FellowA fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
ships (FRPharmS) were also awarded for pharmacists with long standing and outstanding commitment to the profession. The register of pharmacists is now held by the GPhC, and it is this body which now controls registration and fitness to practice.
History
The
Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain was founded on April 15, 1841 by
William Allen FRSWilliam Allen FRS, FLS was an English scientist and philanthropist who opposed slavery and engaged in schemes of social and penal improvement in early nineteenth century England.-Early life:...
,
Jacob BellJacob Bell was a British pharmaceutical chemist who worked to reform the profession. He served as a Liberal Member of Parliament for St Albans from 1850 to 1852.- Career :...
,
Daniel HanburyDaniel Hanbury , a British botanist and pharmacologist, was one of the leading 19th century experts on pharmacognosy, the study of the medicinal applications of nature, principally of plants.-Life:...
, John Bell,
Andrew UreAndrew Ure was a Scottish doctor, scholar and chemist.-Biography:Andrew Ure was born in Glasgow, the son of Alexander Ure, a cheesemonger and his wife, Anne. He received an M.D. from Glasgow University in 1801, and served briefly as an army surgeon before settling in Glasgow, where he became a...
and other London chemists and druggists, at a meeting in the Crown and Anchor Tavern,
StrandStrand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
,
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
William AllenWilliam Allen FRS, FLS was an English scientist and philanthropist who opposed slavery and engaged in schemes of social and penal improvement in early nineteenth century England.-Early life:...
was its first President, and the society quickly took premises at 17
Bloomsbury SquareBloomsbury Square is a garden square in Bloomsbury, Camden, London.- Geography :To the north of the square is Great Russell Street and Bedford Place, leading to Russell Square. To the south is Bloomsbury Way. To the west is the British Museum and Holborn tube station is the nearest underground...
, London where a School of Pharmacy was established in which botany and materia medica were an important part of the students’ curriculum. In 1843, Queen
VictoriaVictoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
granted the Society its
Royal CharterA royal charter is a formal document issued by a monarch as letters patent, granting a right or power to an individual or a body corporate. They were, and are still, used to establish significant organizations such as cities or universities. Charters should be distinguished from warrants and...
. In 1988, Queen
Elizabeth IIElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
agreed that the title "Royal" should be granted to the society.
Publishing
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain operates two publishing divisions, formerly called RPS Publishing;-
- Pharmaceutical Press
Pharmaceutical Press is the publishing division of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society...
which published textbooks on a wide range of topics in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences, as well as the established Major Reference Works Martindale: The Complete Drug ReferenceMartindale: The Complete Drug Reference is a reference book published by Pharmaceutical Press listing some 6,000 drugs and medicines used throughout the world, including details of over 161,000 proprietary preparations. It also includes 675 disease treatment reviews...
, the British National FormularyThe British National Formulary is a medical and pharmaceutical reference book that contains a wide spectrum of information and advice on prescribing and pharmacology, along with specific facts and details about all medicines available on the National Health Service , including indication,...
and Stockley's Drugs Interactions
- PJ Publications, which published the weekly professional journal The Pharmaceutical Journal
The Pharmaceutical Journal is the official journal of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, and before that the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain....
, the monthly Clinical Pharmacist (previously Hospital Pharmacist) and the Registered Technician (as a supplement to the Pharmaceutical Journal).
Royal Pharmaceutical Society Museum
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain had a museum collection since 1842, which continues to be managed by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society today. The museum collected authentic and adulterated samples of crude drugs to demonstrate to students the difference between the two. The collection was used by students as well as researchers, importers, practitioners and manufacturers. The exhibits cover all aspects of British pharmacy history, and include:
- Traditional dispensing equipment.
- Drug storage containers.
- Fine "Lambeth delftware" dating from the 17th and 18th centuries.
- Proprietary (brand name) medicines dating from the 18th century to the present day.
- Bronze mortar
A mortar and pestle is a tool used to crush, grind, and mix solid substances . The pestle is a heavy bat-shaped object, the end of which is used for crushing and grinding. The mortar is a bowl, typically made of hard wood, ceramic or stone...
s.
- Medical caricatures.
- A photo archive.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has always had a close relationship with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. In 1983 they donated over 10,000 historic specimens of materia medica, including crude drugs, herbarium sheets and slides to Kew. This material is now housed in the Economic Botany Collection (EBC) at Kew.
See also
- Pharmaceutical industry in the United Kingdom
The pharmaceutical industry in the United Kingdom directly employs around 72,000 people and in 2007 contributed £8.4 billion to the UK's GDP and invested a total of £3.9 billion in research and development...
- RPSGB Fee Increase 2007
- List of pharmacy organizations in the United Kingdom
- List of schools of pharmacy in the United Kingdom
- British National Formulary
The British National Formulary is a medical and pharmaceutical reference book that contains a wide spectrum of information and advice on prescribing and pharmacology, along with specific facts and details about all medicines available on the National Health Service , including indication,...
- The Pharmacy Practice Research Trust
The Pharmacy Practice Research Trust is an independent charity established in July 1999, by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain which supports and promotes the professional practice and development of pharmacists and develop the field of pharmacy practice research...
External links