The College of Pharmacy Practice is to seek designation as a Royal college as part of a strategy to enhance its standing in professional and political lobbies.
At a meeting of the CPP governors on July 26, it was decided that the college should proceed with moves to seek the designation.
At the same meeting, the CPP governors decided that specialist faculties of the the college should be established so as to create an umbrella structure under which all parts of the pharmacy profession could flourish without adding to the fragmentation of the profession into separate groups.
Groups which the college believes will benefit from the development include those engaged in primary care, mental health and drug information.
A working party has been set up to devise an appropriate structure and constitution.
The college expects that the new faculties will be based on specialisms and hopes that they will transcend the traditional divide between community and hospital pharmacists.
Preliminary discussions are already taking place with a number of groups which have expressed an interest in forming faculties within the college.