By Neil Trainis

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has today said it has not reached a decision on whether to make two key senior executives redundant.

Robbie Turner, the Society’s director of pharmacy and member experience, and Gail Fleming, its director of education and professional development, are believed to be on course to leave the organisation. A story published by Pharmacy Network News on the matter yesterday sparked furious reaction on social media.

England's former chief pharmaceutical officer Keith Ridge said any decision to remove Turner and Fleming would be “a strategic mistake” that “will undermine the future of both pharmacy practice and RPS” given ongoing reforms to pharmacy education and more clinical services set to be delivered through community pharmacy.

Former English Pharmacy Board member Mahendra Patel said their departures could end up “weakening and even casting doubt on how effective the future will be in terms of education and pharmacy service delivery and beyond".

Earlier today, the RPS appeared to deny that a decision had been made over the futures of Turner and Fleming but insisted it would conduct “a fair, reasonable and confidential consultation process” and support those involved.

“The RPS Strategy was launched last year which set out our ambition to further strengthen the viability and sustainability of the organisation, to move at pace and deliver on our ambitious objectives for the benefit of our members, our customers and the wider profession,” it said in a statement. 

“To do that we are working on a proposal that could result in a change in the existing structure at executive level within the organisation and two roles have been identified at potential risk of redundancy. This is very much at proposal stage and no final decisions or outcomes have been reached.”

The RPS also insisted education and the development of pharmacy was its “highest priority” despite speculation over Ms Fleming's future.