The Journal has put three questions on matters of topical interest to each candidate in the election to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Council. The questions are set out in the panel below, and the candidates' answers appear on this and the next two pages
As part of the procedure for the conduct of Council elections, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Council has invited The Journal to pose up to three questions to each election candidate. Voters may wish to read the candidates' answers in conjunction with their statements of policy before deciding how to vote in the election.
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Vote earlyThe business reply envelope sent to members with registered addresses in Great Britain or Northern Ireland is marked "second class". Members are asked to post their voting papers as early as possible. |
The Journal's three questionsThe Journal's questions for Council election candidates are as follows:
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Candidates |
E-pharmacy Internet pharmacies should be accredited by the Society to a minimum professional standard involving questions of security (including encrypted patient data), confidentiality of patient information, quality assurance standards and record keeping, together with the provision of first class relevant pharmaceutical advice. A helpline for the use of patients is essential.
Strategy Constant lobbying of Ministers and senior officials. Develop and capitalise on the work commenced with the All-Party Parliamentary Pharmacy Group which, in its advice to Government on emergency hormonal contraception, stated that that issue fitted in well with "the policy objective of developing the professional role of community pharmacists".
Representation There is a need to review the size, constitution and method of election of the Council, which has not changed for the past 50 years. There is a strong argument for each sector of the profession, particularly those with low numbers, having a minimum number of seats on the Council.
E-pharmacy E-pharmacy should not be allowed to replace face-to-face contact between pharmacists and the public. I am sure there can be a future for both, the traditional and e-pharmacies in the future, as long as they are made to complement each other.
Strategy Issue an ultimatum and stick to it. Our time will be better spent developing our own policies and strategies.
Representation The electorate must become more involved and use their vote to elect those who are still in touch with reality and working at the sharp end regardless of the sector of the professional they practise in.
E-pharmacy E-pharmacy must develop in a fashion that will enhance the profession. The integrity of any data must be protected. E-pharmacy should give opportunity for every pharmacist to become involved with medicines management, patient service development, education and research and to join the NHS network. Legal and ethical frameworks must be established.
Strategy This strategy relates to England. Wales and Scotland are preparing their own documents and the respective executives communicate regularly with appropriate politicians. The Society should recommend that pharmacists lobby their members of Parliament. Relevant all-party pharmaceutical parliamentary groups should be established to apply pressure to action vague promises.
Representation Council members should never be in a position which gives rise to a conflict of interests. The new ways of working are introducing much needed transparency. Geographical representation should be considered - there is no Council member from a devolved Wales. More time could be specifically allocated for special interest groups.
E-pharmacy The public will increasingly expect and demand e-pharmacy. It will force change within and could eventually damage the rational distribution of pharmacies. The changes must be managed; existing pharmacies should be given assistance to change so that e-pharmacy is a supplement to pharmacists and pharmacies.
Strategy The Society should now build on the new age process and develop its own pharmacy strategy to achieve the vision. This process must include all pharmacy organisations and branches, it must then be sold to patient groups, other health professionals and ultimately to the government.
Representation A higher proportion of the electorate must be persuaded to vote. We therefore need a simpler voting process and higher profiles for candidates. We need also to enhance the perception that Council does actually achieve, that a vote is of value and will influence the direction of the profession.
E-pharmacy The Society's role is as a setter and monitor of standards; that must be paramount. It would be in the public interest if the Society could accredit e-pharmacy sites to ensure they operate under the law and within the Code of Ethics. European positions and directives on distance selling and remote service provision need careful analysis and aggressive lobbying to protect pharmacists.
Strategy Considerable stepping-up of pressure is now needed to add to the valuable lobbying carried out recently. Positive comments from the Prime Minister, from the all-party MPs' group and the British Medical Association and new proposals leading to pharmacist prescribing are proof that our value is beginning to be understood.
Representation The Council's Health Act Working party is undertaking a root and branch review and consultation on the possible reconstitution of the Council to more properly represent the membership and, within self-regulation legislation, the public interest. I fully support it.
E-pharmacy I fully support businesses supplying toiletries, batteries or shavers over the internet, but supplying NHS prescriptions should be banned immediately. Council must ensure patients are protected and that the viability of contractors is maintained. Private prescription sales over the internet must be done with patients' safety in mind, under fully encrypted systems with full records kept, properly scrutinised and e-businesses held accountable for their actions.
Strategy The Society should formulate a strategy of its own, in line with current Government thinking, which benefits pharmacy, the government coffers and especially the patient, and take it to the Government.
Representation A review of election procedures, voting procedures and timings (eg, send out the voting forms only after all the information has been presented in the various journals) may help, as would making more use of the power to co-opt relevant pharmacy and lay people onto committees, where a deficit of knowledge can be identified.
E-pharmacy Electronic links between surgeries and dispensaries with access to extended patient records will enable us to judge medication in the light of diagnosis and thus provide more useful input to the prescribing process. Supply-side internet pharmacy should be approached with caution.
Strategy We need good contact with senior NHS management and concrete proposals as to what we can offer and how. Recently I asked the director of education for the NHS South East region about his contact with the Society on the subject of pharmacist education for the NHS. His answer: no contact, in contrast to medical and nursing bodies.
Representation Council members need backgrounds giving them breadth of vision to represent the profession as a whole. Individuals ought not to represent any particular group. To do so inevitably leads to conflict within the Council. The possibility of members representing geographical constituencies could usefully be debated but might not remedy the situation.
E-pharmacy E-commerce is here to stay but we must ensure medicines are a special case for control. We need an e-pharmacy ethical code with defined standards, ensuring capability of suppliers. We do not want to lose the personal patient contact and additional clinical advice that pharmacists do so well.
Strategy The Society should promote our achievements in all sectors of the profession - not just speculate what we might be able to do. It must pressurise the Department of Health to decide about the substantive appointment of the chief pharmacist for top level professional representation.
Representation There is a need to reform the set-up of the Council. It may be that a part central, part regional set-up could be appropriate. This would give a core structure that could represent the different sections of the profession, with clear lines of communication out to the membership via the regional members.
E-pharmacy The internet offers pharmacy the possibility to reach people who do not currently access pharmacies, or indeed any other health services. We should seek the opinion of users (the public and health professionals) to find out why they might prefer to obtain pharmaceutical information and products through this medium, and what they would find useful from pharmacy sites.
Strategy There are many exciting local initiatives that are developing the potential of pharmacists, such as the Manchester emergency hormonal contraception scheme. Groups of pharmacists should now be marketing population-specific services to local funding sources, and not waiting for the national picture to develop.
Representation Geographical representation may provide a "constituency" focus, but precludes skilled members from standing if a local colleague is already incumbent. Sectoral representation also has its merits, but it would be difficult to satisfy all groups within an increasingly diverse profession. I would like more consultation before reaching a conclusion.
E-pharmacy I will limit e-pharmacy to mean the ordering and provision of medication via the internet and involving no face-to-face contact between the pharmacist and patient. This must not be allowed. There is no safe alternative to the personal relationship between a patient and their pharmacist. Certain large companies have already gone too far down the line of multiple locum cover in a single branch and destroyed this link.
Strategy Only when the Society acts as a single resolute unified body will our aspirations be taken seriously. Certain members of Council show more allegiance to their employers than to their profession. Government is well aware that a divided body is easily sidelined. Look to the nurses if you doubt this view.
Representation The embargo on publication by candidates must go; they must be allowed to freely profess their views to the membership. The voting performance of elected members must be published.
E-pharmacy The public benefits from two key strengths of pharmacy: accessibility and the knowledge and expertise of the pharmacist. If not handled carefully, e-commerce could seriously threaten both! E-commerce must not be allowed to bypass the current pharmacy network and thus undermine the face-to-face contact so vital in providing a safe and effective pharmaceutical service.
Strategy It is high time the Government stopped procrastinating and gave formal recognition to the vital contribution pharmacy makes, day in, day out, to improving health and well-being wherever medicines are used. Medicines management will improve patient care and ensure cost-effective use of medicines. Let's get on with it!
Representation The Council needs more pharmacists who are up to date with day-to-day pharmacy practice at the "coal face". Pharmacy needs strong and decisive leadership. It needs more people who are prepared to be externally focused and to tackle head-on the major challenges facing the profession.
E-pharmacy E-pharmacy is our brightest opportunity! NHSnet connection provides access to electronic prescribing, the electronic health record, and thus enables pharmacist prescribing. Audit can be built into the electronic framework so pharmacists can demonstrate the quality and breadth of our contribution to health.
Strategy When Tony Blair announced massive extra funding he challenged the NHS professions. One challenge was to end intra-professional barriers so each profession could maximise its contribution. Now the Society must challenge the Prime Minister: why has Government failed to publish and implement a strategy to provide pharmaceutical care? It is time to bang the table!
Representation Council should perform a needs assessment: what motivates or drives pharmacists? What are our hopes and aspirations? Adopt themes common to each sector to inform strategy, develop the synergies, understand the differences and encourage pharmacists from all sectors to stand for Council. Only greater openness will restore pharmacists' trust in the Society.
E-pharmacy No profession can control the internet and e-pharmacy will increase. The Society must provide an ethical framework and a dynamic strategy for members. E-pharmacy offers an exciting opportunity to extend pharmacy services. However, I believe that most patients will want to continue with a personal consultation. We must embrace new technology to enhance the quality of service to all patients, particularly within the NHSnet.
Strategy Influencing NHS regional offices and health policy makers commands high priority. We must convince those at the forefront of modernising the NHS of our valuable contribution in implementing the current radical programme of reform. National service frameworks and local implementation groups offer unique opportunities to demonstrate our commitment to patient care.
Representation A comprehensive review of the role and structure of Council is urgently needed. Regional representation should be an important element, to secure an effective dialogue with members, which is a cornerstone in a health democracy.
E-pharmacy We cannot, we must not, ignore e-pharmacy. It is here to stay and we must welcome it as an opportunity rather than treat it as a threat. We need to develop robust protocols which will facilitate development of safe, quality-assured services in a way which will benefit both the public and the profession.
Strategy The environment in which we practice is changing, and will continue to change, rapidly. The Society must position itself to be pro-active, rather than reactive, and continue to highlight the activities that contribute to the Government agenda, grasping every opportunity to demonstrate and promote our worth.
Representation We must make the election as open as possible, encouraging candidates from diverse backgrounds and the maximum possible number of voters. Gaps in knowledge and experience can be filled by involving members in debate. But we must avoid personal agendas. They are inappropriate and damage our profession.
E-pharmacy The issues raised by pharmacy on the internet are important and cannot be ignored. The internet provides many opportunities for pharmacy and I would like to see the profession encouraged to make full use of it. I also believe that the Society should be fully involved in the regulation and accreditation of pharmacy sites.
Strategy The Society needs to be more effective in demonstrating to Government that pharmacists are undervalued in health care. We need to demonstrate that we can use our expertise to deliver targets relating to health policy, for example, making real savings to drug budgets when we deliver prescribing advice.
Representation The strength of Council lies in the diversity of its members. As long as pharmacists from every sector of the profession are encouraged to stand for election the Council can then truly represent its members at the front line. I see no need to revolutionise its structure.
E-pharmacy E-pharmacy should not be developed for supply, only for the dissemination of information, locum services, health and drug information to the public and electronic prescribing. A business may have a web site but not for supply as opportunists will "cherry pick" the cream of profitable items to the demise of the many.
Strategy Stop being "reactive" and become "proactive". We should consolidate and become a force which commands the respect of "The Department" and the Medicines Control Agency. As an undervalued, underused resource our public relations machine should work to get us in the national media. We would know when we have succeeded when our conferences are worthy of national media interest.
Representation Firstly, regional representation by election from general practice. Perhaps the same for hospital and health authority pharmacists. Finally, appointees from industry and academia, all groups in proportion to their percentage of the membership.