The Royal Pharmaceutical Society chief executive Paul Bennett has attempted to allay concerns aired this week by the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists (GHP) over its plan to become a royal college.

Bennett today responded to a letter from GHP president Rob Connah, who said there were unanswered questions about the potential impact of the proposal on the career progression of pharmacists, by insisting any future royal college “remains led by the profession.”

The RPS said it is consulting with its members about the plan ahead of a vote on the issue next year and is embarking on a series of roadshows across the UK this month and in November to inform members and non-members about the details of the proposal.

In his response to Connah’s concern that credentialing will “complicate” pharmacists’ ability to move between roles, Bennett said credentialing “provides considerable benefits for pharmacists and the system.”

“The key purpose of RPS credentialing is to protect the public and the integrity of the pharmacy profession through assuring patient-focused pharmacists working at advancing levels of post-registration practice,” he said.

“Defining and assuring post-registration professional standards is a fundamental activity for a royal college and thus fully aligned with our proposals for change.”

RPS: Credentialing can inform fair and valid career progression

Bennett said pharmacists have told the RPS “about the benefits they have gained from successfully undertaking credentialing, including increased confidence, improved practice and greater integration within the wider multidisciplinary team.”

Insisting credentialing “provides an objective and validated assurance mechanism for employee capability within and across organisations,” he said: “(It) can inform fair and valid career progression and recruitment decisions, assure consistency across the system and improve workforce portability.

“It also provides a mechanism by which other health professionals and patients can recognise the level of practice of the pharmacy workforce.”

Bennett also said “embedding credentialing in the profession” addresses concerns that pharmacists will have to “re-prove their level of practice” when moving to another employer, sector, or location.

“RPS, in collaboration with the pharmacy profession, has been developing our credentialing model over the last four to five years,” he said.

“We recognise there is much work ahead of us, in continued partnership with many others in the pharmacy ecosystem, to ensure the full value of credentialing can be realised to the benefit of pharmacists, patients and the public.”

Bennett promised the RPS will work “closely” with the chief pharmaceutical officers, NHS leaders, professional representative bodies and other stakeholders “to demonstrate the value credentialing brings to the profession, patients and the wider healthcare system.”

Bennett also said the RPS’s “rigorous governance review” will ensure it works transparently as it moves towards royal college status.

“Our intent to register as a charity further ensures that there are appropriate external frameworks and scrutiny in place so we meet our intended objective of advancing the science and practice of pharmacy, with patient and public benefit at the forefront of our work,” he said.