Frequently asked questions

You will find answers to some of our most frequently asked questions below.

General enquiries

  1. I would like to resign from the register

    The register of pharmacists is now administered by the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). You can contact the GPhC by calling 020 3365 3400 or emailing info@pharmacyregulation.org.

  2. Why have you introduced a 0845 telephone number, doesn’t it now cost us more to contact you?

    We introduced a non geographic 0845 telephone number in response to feedback from members who felt that we needed to take on a more national focus. Removing the London telephone number was one of the ways members felt we could improve this image.

    In response to this feedback we introduced the new 0845 number, which in the future will also be linked to a menu of options with direct access to specific departments, including RPS support or our dedicated membership team. We are confident that this will help us deliver the best possible service to our members every time they choose to contact us by telephone. We have confirmed the cost of calls to members with our supplier. Calls from a standard BT landline to the 0845 number cost up to 4p per minute although some BT price plans are inclusive of calls to this number and the cost could therefore be much lower for some callers. Calls from other landline and mobile providers do vary considerably and could be higher or lower than BT charges. We advise users who choose to call our 0845 number to check call charges with their service provider before calling. We don’t have a profit share from the cost of calls to our 0845 number.

Website enquiries

  1. What details do members use to log in?

    Members log in to the website using their membership number and password.

    All members were sent an email or letter around the time of the website launch (February 2010) confirming their login details and providing them with a temporary password. When you log in to the site for the first time you will need to use your membership no and temporary password. You will then be prompted to create your own permanent password, which only you will know and have access to. Please note that your login details are case sensitive.

  2. I have forgotten my password

    Please visit our 'Forgotten your password?' page for more information.

  3. New passwords (character length / case sensitivity)

    When you create a new password it should be a minimum of five characters (any combination of characters) in length and is case sensitive.

  4. Where are my login details stored?

    Membership numbers, user ids and temporary passwords are stored on your contact record in the Society’s database (CRM). For security reasons once you log into the website for the first time and change your password the new password is encrypted and stored by the website and not in CRM. You can request a new password from the site at any time by selecting the 'Forgotten your password?' option on the login page.

  5. I can’t log in to the site

    a. Are you a member? Yes (go to b) No (go to f)
    b. Is this the first time you have logged into the website? Yes (go to c) No (go to e)
    c. Do you have your membership number and temporary password? Yes (go to d) No (go to e)
    d. When you login using your membership number and temporary password the next screen you are taken to will be Change Password. After changing your password were you able to login? If you are still having problems go to e.
    e. Contact our Support Team (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) outlining your login problems. If you are getting an error message it would be helpful if you took a screen shot of the error message you are receiving (see 8 below) as this may help us solve the problem you are experiencing.
    f. Non-members do not get access to member-only content of the website.  Some non-members may be granted access to a  group as a guest and even then will only get access to information relating to that group. If you are a non-member with access to a group but are having problems logging in please go to e.

  6. I keep getting an error message

    Contact our Support Team (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) outlining your login problems. It would be helpful if you took a screen shot of the error message you are receiving (see point 9 below) as this may help us solve the problem you are experiencing.

  7. How do I take a screen shot?

    Take a look at the following tips http://take-a-screenshot.org/

  8. What happened to the old Royal Pharmaceutical Society websites?

    www.pharmacyplb.com site was created to keep our members updated on the developments of the new professional body – this includes information on the work streams which were developing the services that the Society will offer post-demerger. This website is now closed.

    www.rpsgb.org was the old website of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britian. At the time of the demerger of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society into the professional leadership body and a separate regulatory body, the RPSGB site (including my.rpsgb.org) was closed.

  9. What web browser should I use?

    This website has been optimised to run at a screen size of 100% in Firefox version 3 and above and Internet Explorer version 7 and above. Users of alternative browsers, versions or settings may experience a reduced performance when using the site.

  10. How do I unblock pop-ups?

    Some areas of our website require the use of pop-up windows (such as receipts). In order to view a pop-up window you may need to change some settings for your computer.

    Internet Explorer

    To disable
    1. Open Internet Explorer.
    2. On the Tools menu, point to Pop-up Blocker, and then click Pop-up Blocker Settings.
    3. Choose the Turn Off Pop-up Blocker option.

    You can also activate and deactivate pop-up control by holding the CTRL key while clicking on a link.

    Firefox

    To disable
    1. Click the Tools option in the menu.
    2. Open the Options window in Firefox.
    3. Click on the Content tab.
    4. Uncheck the Block pop-up Windows option.
    5. Click Apply and OK to close the options window.

    Google Chrome

    Google Chrome automatically blocks pop-ups. You can choose whether you want to see pop-up notifications. Choosing to see these notifications allows the user to open the desired pop-up and still leaves all other pop-ups blocked.

    To disable
    1. Click the wrench icon (far right).
    2. Select Options.
    3. Click the ‘Under the bonnet’ tab.
    4. Click Content Settings.
    5. If you want to see pop-ups, select the ‘Allow all sites to show pop-ups’ checkbox.
    6. Click Close.

    For advanced instructions please visit the website for your software provider.

  11. What are RSS feeds?

    The Royal Pharmaceutical Society use RSS feeds to promote some of its regular online content. RSS stands for ‘Really Simple Syndication’ and the feed is basically a web page which contains basic information (such as title, date, and description) about our content and is updated in real time. The most common use of RSS is to display news items.

    RSS feeds can be accessed by website browsers, desktop software (such as Microsoft Outlook), or RSS reader applications on smart phones. They are a great way to keep up-to-date with the latest updates from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society without visiting the website.

    We publish the following feeds:

Virtual networks enquiries

  1. What are the benefits of joining a group?

    Groups aim to offer members with an interest in any area of pharmacy, a simple and effective way to communicate and share ideas with each other through news alert messages, the dissemination of information including best practice as well as general discussions.

  2. Where can I find a list of groups?

    Visit the networks homepage to see which groups are available to freely join (open groups) and those which you can apply to join (closed groups).

    Alternatively, you can look at the networking section where Groups are categorised under the following provisional headings that may be subject to change:
    • Clinical and Pharmacy Practice
    • Management, Law and Ethics
    • Professional Development and Education
    • Science, Research and Technology

  3. I can’t find any networks that are relevant to my needs

    Groups are member-driven – if you see a need to form a new focus group you can apply to set one up (See 13).

    If you know that the group exists, but you can’t find it in your My Groups box, please contact the support team (support@rpharms.com) with the name and description of the group and why you are eligible to be a member of it.

  4. Who can join a group?

    Groups are a member benefit and are member-driven,, therefore any member of the Society is eligible to join all open groups.

    Some groups (closed and hidden groups) have restricted membership criteria That is determined by the group moderator(s) (see 20).

    In some circumstances, experts who are not members of the Society can be given temporary guest access at the discretion of the RPS/group moderator (see 11).

  5. What is an open / closed / hidden group?

    The networks structure comprises open, closed and hidden groups. All members can join an open group. All members can apply to join a closed group. Only members that have been invited can join a hidden group.

  6. How do I join a group?

    To join a group, login to the website and go to the networks homepage where all open and closed networks are listed.

    To join an open group, click the ‘join’ link next to the name and description of the group. This will confirm your group membership and take you to the group overview page.

    To join a closed group, click the ‘apply’ link next to the name and description of the group. You will be prompted to provide a brief explanation of why you would like to join the group. This explanation will be send to the group moderator(s) who will determine whether you are eligible to join and send you a subsequent confirmation or rejection of your application.

    Some groups are hidden and have been created by a system administrator for a specific purpose. If you know of a hidden group that you would like to become a member of, please contact a member of the support team (support@rpharms.com) with the name and description of the group and why you are eligible to be a member of it.

  7. I requested to join a group but haven’t heard anything

    The group moderator(s) are responsible for the confirmation/rejection of group applications; moderators are predominately member and as such are not obliged to respond. If you have not received a confirmation/rejection message to become a member of a group, please contact a member of the support team (support@rpharms.com) with the name and description of the group and why you would like to be a member of it.

  8. Is there a charge to join a group?

    All open groups are free for members to join.

    Some closed groups are joint ventures between partner organisations of the Society and the Society. Partners may use this group to monitor and maintain their membership lists and as such may wish for a fee for access to their group as part of their partner agreement with the Society.

  9. How many groups can I join?

    Members can apply to join a number of groups if they wish but in order to manage information flow are advised to tailor their selection according to individual need(s). It is recommended that you find groups to match your professional profile e.g. membership category, subject specialism, location or interest.

  10. Can overseas members join a group?

    Groups are accessible to individuals and groups of members in any geographical location including overseas.

  11. Can a non-member join a group?

    Non-members, who are not eligible for membership of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, but who can add value to a group due to their expertise and/or experience (eg, a nurse, vet, general practitioner, etc), may on request be granted temporary access to a group as a guest. Guests are set up at the discretion of the RPS/group moderator. To gain access to a group as a non-member, please contact a member of the support team (support@rpharms.com) with the name and description of the group and why you would like to be a member of it.

  12. Can a group member/non-member ('guest') access other online member service?

    Members can access the full set of online member services and content.

    Non-members with temporary guest passwords can view content relating to their group only.

  13. Can I set up a new group?

    Members wishing to start a group and/or members of an existing external group wishing to formalise it within the Society can apply to set up a new group.

    Step 1 - Application

    Please send an email to the support team and provide information on the following areas:

    • Why do you want to form a new group?
    • Outline the benefit to the Society, its members and to the profession as a whole – brief description
    • What will be the group's key focus area?
    • Where are the group's members likely to come from (sector/content)?
    • Will the group have a local or national focus? If you are applying to set up a local group we need to understand the interface with your Local Practice Forum and ensure that there is no duplication. What is the expected group membership size (estimate)? The minimum size is six.
    • Provide contact details for lead contact(s)/moderators – the minimum is two (see moderator rules in the T&Cs located on the website footer).

    Step 2 - Validation

    The Society will assess the details provided on your application form and undertake checks to see if there are any similar groups (internal or external) already in existence. If an external group exists outside of the Society our intention will be to work in partnership/collaboration with that group. If we require further information we will contact you via telephone/email.

    Step 3 - Approval

    Successful applicants will receive a response within 10 days. If your application is not successful we will provide you with feedback.

    Successful applicants will be asked to provide descriptive text for the group homepage: Scope (including target audience) and Aims/Objectives.
  14. Where can I find the terms and conditions for groups?

    The terms and conditions for groups can be found in the T&Cs located on the website footer.

  15. Are focus groups linked to the Society’s new membership database?

    Groups are integrated with the new membership database (CRM) — a system that provides a single, up-to-date set of members' contact details and a central log of member engagement with services.

    This will enable the professional body to store members’ interests and preferences to ensure they are receiving information that is relevant to them.

  16. How do I leave a group?

    Either contact the group moderator or update your details via the My Profile section (select Networks | Groups) of the Society’s website.

  17. How do I make a complaint about a discussion thread?

    Click on the Report Post button that appears alongside the post itself. An email will be sent to the group moderator for further assessment.

  18. I can't upload a document to the group area

    It is likely that you have you have reached your 100mb limit and need to delete some items. If you delete items and are still experiencing problems please contact the group moderator via the group overview page for further assistance.

  19. I am getting group emails I don't want

    Update your details via the My Profile section (select Networks | Groups) of the Society’s website.

  20. What is a moderator?

    Moderators are predominately members who have demonstrated that they are suitable (because of an high level of interest, knowledge and/or expertise) for the scope of the group. A moderator, they are responsible for the content of the group adhering to the terms and conditions of the site, for providing leadership to the group and a focal point for members and staff of the Society. Moderators of closed group are responsible for the admissions process to the group.