Consultation On Proposed Fees Announced By Society, UK

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 26 Apr 2009 - 1:00 PDT

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The Council of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) has proposed a small change to its fees for 2010 and a fees consultation will run from 24th April until 17thJuly 2009. After reviewing the RPSGB's financial position, the Council proposed a minor increase in the region of 2.2% which is lower than in previous years and will allow the Society to continue to function efficiently.

Careful management of the Society budget ensured this year's fees were kept to a minimum and the final figure was within the Retail Price Index (RPI) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) measures of inflation.

This is the second year in a row that fees have not been raised significantly. Last year's fees only rose by the annual inflationary rise and were between 3.9% - 4.5%. In response to feedback from members, a discounted fee for pharmacists on a lower income will again be included. This fee was bought in last year and will help to lessen the financial impact on pharmacists who work part-time.

The Council has also implemented staged payments as a result of the 2008 fee consultation results. Practising pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are able to pay their retention fee in four quarterly instalments by direct debit.

Royal Pharmaceutical Society Treasurer, Andrew Gush, said; "The 2.2% fee increase proposal has been managed through the Society's careful prioritisation of work and rigorous cost containment.

"We are going through significant change as an organisation and the fees should produce enough income to ensure the stability of the Society and GPhC during 2010. We now welcome our members' thoughts on this proposal and I invite them to take part in our consultation which runs until July 17. "

The RPSGB will consult on its registration and retention fees and will ask pharmacists, registered pharmacy technicians and other stakeholders what they think. The Society believes that listening to the views of its members on the fee-setting brings greater transparency and accountability to the process.

This consultation will run from 24th April 2009 until 17thJuly 2009 and will be promoted through The Pharmaceutical Journal. It is also available on the RPSGB website http://www.rpsgb.orgfrom Friday April 24 and hard copies (including a large print version) are available on request from the Society's Chief Executive & Registrar's Office. Following the consultation, the RPSGB will analyse the responses and report these to Council. On 28th and 29th July 2009 Council will review this analysis and will publish the findings and any decisions it takes on fees on the Society's website and in The Pharmaceutical Journal in August 2009.

Source
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain

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