From Mr A. R. Cox, MRPharmS
SIR,-In June, 1999, I took part in an exercise arranged by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society called the Cat Mat. This involved sorting cards into various piles depending on one's opinion on statements written upon them. The statements were positive or negative and concerned the Society, the services provided by the Society and the working environment of pharmacists.
This study appeared to be an attempt to examine the relationship between the Council, the Society's staff and the members of the Society. This information would be of great use in changing the way the Society operates and performs for its membership.
It is now over nine months since this exercise was performed and I have not received any feedback. I am aware that the study was completed at some point in the summer of 1999.
It is good practice to provide a summary of results to participants and I had hoped the results would be published in due course. In addition, the exercise cost the membership £40,000. As fundamental stakeholders in the Society, members have a right to know when this study will be published.
Anthony Cox
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands
Ms BEVERLEY PARKIN (director of public affairs, Royal Pharmaceutical Society) states: The Catalyst project follows the Pharmacy in a New Age consultation and the ensuing report on links with the membership, both of which pointed to the need for a clearer understanding of members' perspective by the Council and those taking forward policy. The Catalyst method was selected as a well-respected research tool used widely in the public sector to gain insight into which issues really are of concern to people.
The method involved asking groups of pharmacists to talk about the problems that they felt impeded their progress towards the "new age" for pharmacy. The resulting problem statements were then ranked by larger numbers of people, giving a clear hierarchy of issues of concern. The responses were segmented according to the sector where pharmacists worked and their status (eg, contractor, manager, employee, locum).
The results have been the subject of a presentation to the Council and have recently been presented to senior staff. The research is intended to provide a working tool for the Council and staff and a first step is to identify any issues of concern which the Society is in a position to address. A report for publication will be prepared in due course.