Employers urged to add RPS membership to pharmacy job descriptions

A coalition of pharmacy employers in London has called on pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to join their professional membership bodies, and says employers should consider including this in pharmacy job descriptions.

In two position statements, the London Pharmacy Workforce Group (LPWG) says there are “professional imperatives” for employers to recommend their pharmacists be members of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), and for pharmacy technicians to be members of the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK. They say pharmacists should also be encouraged to take part in the RPS Faculty programme of professional development.

The LPWG says engaging with the RPS would provide a “clear benefit” to pharmacists’ career development and subsequent patient care.

The group added that it ”encourages leadership actions by employers in considering the inclusion of membership of professional leadership bodies in job descriptions to support the imperative for high quality services underpinned by clear workforce development structures”.

Responding to the statements, Ash Soni, RPS president, says: “The RPS is delighted that the LPWG has advocated for pharmacists to join the RPS to help the development of individual practitioners. As a profession we are so much stronger when we are united and I strongly believe membership of the RPS is the best way of achieving this.”

LPWG is a group of community and hospital pharmacy employers that provide and commission NHS services in the capital. It said the statements were developed in response to calls from pharmacy employers keen to continue developing high standards of pharmacy services.