See also:
Call for permanent BPSA office at Lambeth headquarters
Call for reconsideration of Council election canvassing
Conference success?
No support for electoral college for Society's presidential elections
Branches want their role reviewed
Pros and cons of STV discussed
Representatives want Society's public relations assessed for performance
Representatives want earlier Council response to BRM motions
Branch representatives support emergency hormonal contraception from pharmacies
Branch representatives have supported a motion from the West Metropolitan branch which asks the Society to introduce a scheme which co-ordinates the applications for preregistration graduate posts in the same manner as the University and Colleges Admission Service operates for university placements.
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Martin Hill: allow for a more informed choice |
A successful motion from the British Pharmaceutical Students Association proposed that "the names of successful candidates from the Society's registration examination should be published in at least one national broadsheet newspaper".
Mr JONATHAN BURTON proposed the motion, which was aimed at improving the public perception of the pharmacy profession. The Council had commented that it might cost £20,000. The Times offered this service currently to lawyers and accountants and did not make any charge. The Society should approach the Times and other broadsheet newspapers and put the case to them.
Ms ELIZABETH DORAN (BPSA) formally seconded the motion.
The motion was carried.
The Sefton branch successfully proposed that the Society waives the registration fee for newly qualified pharmacists until their first full year of registration.
Proposing the motion, Mrs VALERIE WELLS pointed out that this year's fee to sit the registration examination was £75. The full year's registration fee was £138, and that was to be placed on the register for the remaining five months of the year. If the registration examination was failed, students had to pay a further fee of £47 to resit in September. They then had to pay a full registration fee for the remaining three months of the year. A composite examination fee should be able to cover the cost of placement on the register. The Society should show understanding of the situation of graduates, who might well be in debt following their student years. Why not subsidise this group of pharmacists?
Mr ALAN WOODCOCK (Sefton) seconded the motion. He said members would make up the shortfall in future years when they could better afford it.
The motion was carried.
The Glasgow and West of Scotland branch successfully proposed that "it is the opinion of this meeting that the Society should actively encourage pharmacy practitioners to provide more preregistration training places".
Proposing the motion, Dr JULIENNE JOHNSON said that pharmacy graduates deserved a high standard of training, motivating them to start their professional careers. These expectations were met successfully by tutors who were seen as role models committed to service improvement and lifelong learning.
Undertaking preregistration training was the only route into the profession and this training was entirely the responsibility of the Society.
Should the number of preregistration tutors fall in the future, the provision of satisfactory pharmaceutical services might be jeopardised. She urged members to support the motion.
Mr DAVID THOMSON (Glasgow and West of Scotland) formally seconded the motion.
The motion was carried.