Earlier this year the Pharmaceutical Society NI consulted on a number of proposals related to annual retention. They were:
- A proposed increase in pharmacist registration and annual retention fees from £398 to £477;
- A change to the method of notification of fees from post to having the option to receive a notification via post or email; and
- Enabling pharmacist retention fees to be collected in quarterly instalments by Direct Debit.
The Council of the Pharmaceutical Society NI considered the responses from the consultation process and recommended that, alongside a number of other matters, the proposals should be implemented. See the Council’s full response for further details.
In order for these changes to be enabled an amendment to the applicable legislation is required. Unfortunately, this was not possible in time for the 2025 retention period.
As a consequence of this the proposals detailed above cannot be enacted. Therefore, the 2025 retention fee will remain £398, we will be unable to collect this via instalments or Direct Debit and notification will remain via postal method only.
The retention process will open on 1 August 2025 and will close on 31 August 2025.
We will revisit these issues later in the year and keep colleagues informed of any developments or subsequent plans.