Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain 692567 223202399 2008-07-03T01:03:11Z 81.158.123.254 /* Statutory Role */ The '''Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain''' (RPSGB) is the [[statutory]] regulatory and professional body for [[pharmacist]]s and Pharmacy Technicians in [[England]], [[Scotland]] and [[Wales]]. Its headquarters are at 1, Lambeth High Street, in the [[London]] [[London Borough|Borough]] of [[Lambeth]], there are also offices in [[Cardiff]] and [[Edinburgh]]. == Statutory Role == The primary objective of the RPSGB is to lead, regulate, develop and promote the pharmaceutical profession. All [[pharmacist]]s in [[Great Britain]] (approximately 44,000) must be registered with the Society. The Society is unusual amongst healthcare regulators in that it has its own inspectorate. To become a member of the Society an individual must usually have completed a [[MPharm]] or (before 1997) a [[BPharm]] or [[BSc]] (pharmacy) degree, 45 weeks of pre-registration training and pass the [http://www.rpsgb.org.uk/acareerinpharmacy/preregistrationtraining/examination.html registration examination]. This gives them the right to use the [[post-nominal letters]] '''MRPharmS''' (Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society) and those who are on the society's register may practise as pharmacists in Great Britain. [[fellow|Fellowship]]s (FRPharmS) may also be awarded. The RPSGB is currently subject to controversy over its plans to [[RPSGB Fee Increase 2007| increase the cost of registration by 50%]]. == History == The '''Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain''' was founded on [[April 15]] [[1841]] by [[William Allen (Quaker)|William Allen FRS]], [[Jacob Bell]], [[Daniel Hanbury]], [[John Bell (chemist)|John Bell]] and other London chemists and druggists, at a meeting in the Crown and Anchor Tavern, [[Strand, London|Strand]], [[London]]. [[William Allen (Quaker)|William Allen]] was its first President, and the society quickly took premises at 17 [[Bloomsbury Square]], London where a School of Pharmacy was established in which botany and materia medica were an important part of the students’ curriculum. In [[1843]], Queen [[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Victoria]] granted the Society its [[Royal Charter]]. In [[1988]], Queen [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Elizabeth II]] agreed that the title "Royal" should be granted to the society. Currently, the Government is in the process of moving the regulation of Pharmacy staff into line with that of other health care professionals. The RPSGB's role as professional body and regulator of the profession will be delegated to two different organisations. == Publishing == The society also operates the two divisions of RPS Publishing;- * [[The Pharmaceutical Press]] which publishes textbooks, and * [[PJ Publications]], which publishes the weekly professional journal ''[[The Pharmaceutical Journal]]'' and the monthly ''[[Hospital Pharmacist]]''. ==Royal Pharmaceutical Society Museum== The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has had a museum collection since 1842. The exhibits cover all aspects of British pharmacy history, and include: *Traditional dispensing equipment. *Drug storage containers. *Fine "Lambeth delftware" dating from the 1600s and 1700s. *Proprietary (brand name) medicines dating from the 1700s to the present day. *Bronze [[mortar and pestle|mortar]]s. *Medical caricatures. *A photo archive. Since 2002 the Society has concentrated on developing the collection of historical and contemporary proprietary medicines. The museum may be visited by appointment. The museum is a member of [[the London Museums of Health & Medicine]]. ==See also== *[[RPSGB Fee Increase 2007]] *[[List of pharmacy organizations in the United Kingdom]] *[[List of schools of pharmacy in the United Kingdom]] *[[British National Formulary]] ==External links== *[http://www.rpsgb.org.uk/ Official site] {{Geolinks-buildingscale|51.4945|-0.1192}} [[Category:Organizations established in 1841]] [[Category:Pharmacy organizations]] [[Category:British professional bodies]] [[Category:National Health Service]] [[Category:British medical associations]] [[Category:Medical museums]] [[Category:Science museums in the United Kingdom]] {{NHS-stub}}