The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s assembly has decided not to adopt a policy of making donations on members’ behalf to professional charity Pharmacist Support.

Ninety-four per cent of RPS members voting in the Society’s May 25 online annual general meeting backed a motion from Pharmacist Support trustee Mohammed Hussain to donate a minimum of £1 per member per year to the charity.

However, the assembly – which is not formally involved in day-to-day operations of the RPS but sets its strategic direction and oversees budgetary management – rejected the proposal at its recent July meeting.

Instead, the assembly voted to “consider other options for charitable donations as part of its approach to corporate social responsibility”.

Speaking after the meeting, RPS president Claire Anderson commented: “The assembly agreed to consider options for members to donate to a charity of their choice when they renew their membership, or join as members, as part of our commitment to corporate social responsibility.

“We will continue our long alliance with the profession’s charity, Pharmacist Support, which helps pharmacists, trainees and their families with stress, mental health and financial worries.

“We will be running our 4th annual workforce wellbeing survey in partnership with Pharmacist Support from September and will publish the results by the end of the year.”

In papers prepared ahead of the assembly meeting, the RPS said that if passed, the motion would bind the RPS to donating “a sum of circa £38,000”.

“Assembly may want to consider if this is appropriate use of funds or what other options for charitable donation or member giving might also be considered,” the papers said.

The assembly also declared its support for re-joining the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) “subject to further discussion with FIP after their September Council meeting and consulting with our membership, with outcome of that engagement for decision at our next Assembly meeting in November”.

The RPS was criticised in March when it emerged it had informed FIP of its decision to leave the international body in November 2021 without communicating this to members.

Professor Anderson has said that holding discussions around FIP membership in private was “the wrong call,” and the RPS has since commissioned an independent review looking at how it can be more transparent with members and offer them greater involvement in decision making.