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We could see the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland go and the General Pharmaceutical Council take over University Street, says Terry Maguire…

February 25, 2026 might prove to be one of the most important days in pharmacy politics in Northern Ireland.

Early in the day, the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) launched its five-year corporate strategy with (and without) some very interesting objectives.

In the evening, the UK Pharmacy Leadership body (UKPPLAB) held a Teams workshop focused on pharmacy leadership in N. Ireland where its objectives were gradually revealed. 

What is confirmed, by its absence in the PSNI corporate strategy, is that PSNI will not regulate pharmacy technicians. At the end of 2025 a letter from PSNI stated it was stepping down from a stakeholder group set up to implement technician regulation locally.

It was doing this, it said, because of a lack of resource and a consequent need to prioritize. Getting its regulatory and governance house in order would be a significant enough challenge without the additional time and money needed to set up pharmacy technician regulation. 

Yet, rather that improve the sustainability of its pharmacy and pharmacist regulatory role, this decision might prove another nail in its coffin because, and considering its size, it might now be deemed unfit for purpose.

To this end, we are expecting a formal public consultation on the sustainability of PSNI in the coming months and I would anticipate that the profession will be largely indifferent. As a consequence, PSNI might go and the General Pharmaceutical Council could take over University Street.  

Similar coup attempt back in 2012 

This is a far cry from the fiery passion that greeted a similar coup attempt back in 2012 when many fought tooth and nail to save our regulator recognizing that with PSNI gone pharmacists here would have very little say in the future development of their profession.

That’s now changed; the passion dampened the fire extinguished, the new generation of pharmacist, now in their prime, are little interested in local professional leadership.

The UKPPLAB workshop gave another clue to this direction of travel. The UKPPLAB is identifying UK pharmacy leadership in a Royal College transitioned from the RPS.

The NI Pharmacy Forum, currently providing pharmacy professional leadership on behalf of PSNI, is fully supportive of extending the remit of the Royal College of Pharmacy (RCP) to N. Ireland following its GB formation this April.

Few here are even aware that the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) is becoming a Royal College in the manner of the medical Royal Colleges as it hopes to become home for all the disparate groupings within the profession; community, hospital, technicians and the specialties’.

The RPS’s royal charter is for Great Britain only, so now the UKPPLAB has asked it to seek a UK charter allowing it to set up a N. Ireland Council.   

This is the plan and will require the NI. Pharmacy Forum be stepped down. There is confidence this will be a straight forward task involving; Privy Council, Charities Commission and N. Ireland Assembly; the latter needs to agree legislative changes to the Pharmacy Order 1976.

This is how I understood the plan described by the wonderfully polite and enthusiastic people on the meeting. The Charities Commission will be involved because the RCP (unlike RPS) will be a registered charity meaning its focus is first and foremost to the public not the profession.   

Goodness that’s a lot to take-in in a one-hour meeting and having read the PSNI corporate strategy earlier in the day, I must be due at least three CPD hours!

The UKPPLAB plan, as I understand it, links directly back to the PSNI Corporate Strategy which under objective 4 has interesting activities worth stating in full;

4.1 We will contribute to discussions and implement change as a result of ongoing discussion on pharmacy leadership via the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board (UKPPLAB) and similar forums. 

4.2 We will lobby and work with the Northern Ireland Assembly to bring forward amendments to the Pharmacy (NI) Order 1976 and introduce changes via subordinate legislation to support our objectives. 

4.3 We will provide input to UK-wide discussions on healthcare regulation and implement changes to our organisation as a result of feedback.

So, it was perhaps no coincidence that PSNI launched its Corporate Strategy the same day as the UKPPLAB held its N. Ireland meeting.  The plan is now properly formed, out in the public domain and our support will be sought over coming months.

The PSNI might survive as a regulator but without its leadership role, soon to be cut from the Pharmacy Order 1976, and a NI Council of the RCP replacing the N. Ireland Forum, what is left of PSNI should go to the GPharmC, who already has technician regulation.

This, then, can be the only financially sustainable pharmacy regulatory model for N. Ireland.   

Terry Maguire is a leading pharmacist in Northern Ireland.