Progress on corporate governance and the Council's ways of working is to be the focus of the President's address to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's annual general meeting on May 10.
That was announced by the President (Mrs Christine Glover) after the Council's April meeting, at which corporate governance issues had formed a substantial part of the proceedings. Before getting down to the meeting's formal agenda, Council members and senior staff completed the last of four seminars and workshops led by a corporate governance expert, Professor Bob Garrett. This final session highlighted the roles and accountabilities of the Council and the staff and ways to foster effective team-working at Lambeth.
To foster corporate governance, the Council last year agreed a training programme, initially to help new members get to grips with their role on the Council, which is being piloted this year. An induction programme for new Council members is already up and running.
As well as this work, the Council has been examining its own processes and procedures. In August, 1999, the President convened three working groups of Council members of the Council to consider: how to achieve greater transparency in the way the Council works; the mechanism for electing the President; and the selection of members and chairmen of committees.
These three groups have now completed their work and reported to the Council. Some of their recommendations have been agreed and others remitted to a steering group that is working to establish a corporate governance framework for the Society. This group has identified three components of the framework: identifying the roles and responsibilities of Council members, Officers and senior staff; a code of conduct for Council members; and monitoring arrangements, including the establishment of an audit committee.
Proposals for the code of conduct were accepted by the Council at its April meeting (see facing page) and are to be discussed further in May.
Other recommendations that relate to the Society's constitution have been referred to the Council's Health Act working party.