The UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board (UKPPLAB), comprising the Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm) and six pharmacy professional leadership bodies and specialist professional groups, has published a landmark Concordat establishing a shared commitment to position RCPharm as the unified professional leadership home for pharmacy in the United Kingdom.

Pharmacy Business reported that the Concordat was published on 25 June 2026, building on UKPPLAB's statement of February 2026, with RCPharm confirming that a programme of member engagement would be announced shortly, beginning in autumn 2026.

The signatories to the Concordat are Tase Oputu, president of the Royal College of Pharmacy; Nicola Greenhalgh, president of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy; Amy Laflin, president of the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK; Sheelin McKeagney, chair of Pharmacy Forum Northern Ireland; Dr Graham Stretch, president of the Primary Care Pharmacy Association; John Warburton, chair of the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association; and Joseph Williams, vice chair of the British Oncology Pharmacy Association.

A central element of the Concordat is a stated ambition to extend full membership of the Royal College to pharmacy technicians, a change that would require a positive Special Resolution Vote by existing College members. The signatories acknowledged this would require clear governance arrangements to protect distinct professional voices and ensure equity across both professional groups.

Oputu said: "This Concordat is a significant moment for pharmacy professional leadership, and we commend the Board, under Sir Hugh's leadership, for their ambition and shared commitment to working collaboratively toward a unified future that benefits professionals and the public. The Concordat hands the baton to member organisations to make that unified future a reality, and I particularly welcome the clear articulation of UKPPLAB members' shared pledge to co-creating an ambitious and inclusive royal college as a wider home for pharmacy."

Oputu added: "Together, we can build the future that pharmacy professionals and patients deserve."

UKPPLAB has been working since April 2024 to create a stronger, more inclusive, and sustainable pharmacy professional leadership model. The Concordat represents the most formal expression yet of that collective ambition, bringing seven organisations into a single structured commitment.

Access the full details of the UKPPLAB Concordat and the pharmacy sector's unified leadership framework.