The Society’s retention fee process for 2010 — your questions answered

In this article Seth Davies, head of regulatory operations at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, explains how retention fees are being collected for 2010 and what will happen after the General Pharmaceutical Council takes over the Society’s regulatory responsibilities

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has been responsible for collecting retention fees for many years under various statues such as the Pharmacy Act 1954 and the Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians Order 2007.

The 2010 retention fee round will be the final time the Society will collect retention fees before the new regulator — the General Pharmaceutical Council — is established in spring 2010 (parliamentary timetable permitting). Under the draft Pharmacy Order 2009, the GPhC will be responsible for collecting renewal fees from registrants. In turn, the new professional body will be responsible for collecting its own membership fees.

The Society has reviewed the retention fee processes from the past two years and made a number of changes to the 2010 retention fee notice to make it easier for registrants to complete.

Why is the Society collecting fees for 2010?

Until the GPhC is established, the Society continues to be both the regulator and professional body. The 2010 retention fee will continue to cover all current functions of the Society. On establishment of the GPhC the Society will agree a level of income to be transferred to the GPhC to fund the regulatory functions for the remainder of 2010.

How much is the 2010 retention fee?

For retention on Part 1 of the Register the following fees apply:

• £422 practising — for pharmacists who wish to practise in Great Britain
• £281 practising (low income) — for pharmacists who wish to practise in Great Britain

For Part 2 of the Register the following fees apply:

• £72 non-practising — for pharmacists who reside in the British Islands or the EEA and do not wish to practise in Great Britain
• £126 overseas — for pharmacists who reside outside of the British Islands or the EEA and do not wish to practise in Great Britain

When do I have to pay my retention fee?

The retention fee is due by 1 January 2010 and must be paid to ensure your name is retained on the Register. Your completed retention form and relevant fee should be sent to the Society by 17 December 2009.  The retention fee notice will be posted during the week beginning 19 October 2009.

If the Society does not receive your retention fee by 1 March 2010, you risk being removed from the Register. Restoration to the Register will incur a fee of £799.

If you do not receive your retention fee notice by 10 December 2009 or your contact details change, such as your name or address, you must inform the Registrar by e-mailing registration@rpsgb.org or telephoning 020 7572 2322.

How can I pay my retention fee?

There are a number of ways to pay the 2010 retention fee. However, the Society does not accept cheques. In the event of a national postal strike, registrants who have supplied the Society with a current e-mail address will receive an e-mail containing their 2010 retention form number. This unique number will allow registrants to pay either online or by telephone.

Those who have not provided the Society with an up-to-date e-mail address can do so by e-mailing registration@rpsgb.org

Direct debit

A completed direct debit mandate must be returned to the Society by 15 November 2009. The direct debit mandate can be downloaded from the Registration page of the Society’s website.

Online

You can declare and pay online by logging on to myRPSGB and following the link on the right hand menu. A receipt can be downloaded immediately for online payments. If you use this option you are not required to return the retention fee notice.

Telephone

You can pay by credit or debit card (except American Express) by calling the automated 24-hour telephone line on 03301 004456. Your call should last no more than five minutes. Calls from a BT landline cost no more than a call to a 01 or 02 number. Calls from other networks and mobiles will vary.

If you pay by telephone you will need to wait 24 hours before downloading a receipt from myRPSGB.  

I have paid my retention fee. What happens when the GPhC is established?

Pharmacists currently on the practising Register will automatically transfer to the GPhC. You will be notified of this in writing.

The non-practising Register will cease to exist once the GPhC is established.  If you are currently on the non-practising Register you may wish to consider applying for transfer to the Society’s current practising Register before the establishment of the GPhC. A change of status application form is available to download (PDF 290K).

Alternatively, if you wish to remain on the non-practising Register for now you can apply for registration once the GPhC is established.

Registrants who do not want to transfer to the practising Register will be contacted by the new professional body.

Can I still use the title “pharmacist” even if I am not registered with the GPhC?

No. The legislation that establishes the GPhC, the draft Pharmacy Order 2009, sets out a new, broader definition of practising. Many pharmacists whose roles do not involve delivering care to individual patients or services direct to the public will need to register with the GPhC.

As a result, academic and industrial pharmacists will need to consider registration if they have not already done so.

If I pay the non-practising fee and decide not to transfer to the practising register, will I be able to get a refund?

You will not be able to claim a refund for the regulatory part of your fee. Further information will be available at the time the 2010 fee is split.

If I decide not to join the new professional body, will I be able to get a refund?

Yes, the Society will refund, on a pro rata basis, the membership portion of the 2010 combined fee. Further information will be available at the time the 2010 fee is split.

How will my fee be split between the GPhC and the new professional body?

This has not yet been agreed. The Department of Health is working on an impact assessment that will include actual annual costs for regulation. These costs will inform the level of income to be transferred to the GPhC.

What will happen to my Society certificate?

Society certificates will not be valid as proof of registration with the GPhC.  It is unlikely you will be required to return your certificate, but no decisions have been made on this so far.

Proof of registration with the GPhC will be in a form agreed by the GPhC’s council and is yet to be determined.