Gail Fleming, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s director of education and professional development, has now “decided” to leave the organisation, it has been confirmed.

In a statement yesterday, RPS chief executive Paul Bennett announced that Ms Fleming “has decided to leave her role” and that her last day will be April 7. He added: “Please join me in wishing Gail all the best for the future and thanking her for her excellent work since joining the organisation in 2018.”

The statement was issued seven days after a similarly worded one announced that Robbie Turner, the Society’s director of pharmacy and member experience, had also “decided to leave his role”, and would do so a week later. His last official day was March 31.

The executive departures may be part of a wider shake-up of the Society’s educational function. Ms Fleming said in a tweet last night that advanced practice programme lead Stephen Doherty and another person from the division are also leaving the organisation. 

No details are yet available regarding the organisation’s future plans for its education division. The RPS told Pharmacy Network News it would not “be responding to speculation about individuals through the media”.

Criticism

PNN broke the news on March 2 that the RPS was going to make the two directors – a third of the RPS’s senior executive team – redundant. At the time the RPS claimed that a final decision on the two roles had not been made. 

The RPS received widespread criticism for the redundancy plan and for a perceived lack of transparency around decisions that could affect its offering to members.

Further criticism followed when it appeared that the Society had abandoned, or at the very least downgraded, an intent to pursue Royal College status, and then when it was confirmed the RPS had also left the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) at the end of last year.

In the statement yesterday, Mr Bennett said: “I will be updating everyone on how any changes to our structure enable us to deliver our Royal Charter obligations and our five-year strategy in April.”