Under the new mechanism agreed by the Council for the election of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Officers, all candidates for the Presidency are required to produce an address of up to 1,000 words to demonstrate to Council members how they measure up to the job specification and to set out their policies.
The following is the address produced by Mrs Christine Glover, who was the only candidate for the role of President in this year's election.
I present myself for nomination for President with a clear belief that pharmacy has a crucial role to play in the health of the nation in the new century. The profession needs to raise its profile and ensure that it is in a key position to deliver within the modern National Health Service structure.
The opportunities for pharmacy are immense at the moment. Within the community our great strength is that we have an existing, well distributed network, which can be enhanced by developing a range of services underpinned by an already effective and efficient supply chain.
The contribution of both community and primary care pharmacists working in the primary groups and trusts will lead to greater understanding of what pharmacy can bring to the health agenda. This will facilitate greater integration into health care teams.
In no way do I underestimate the barriers to achieving this vision - but there is a growing realisation of the potential of the profession, both with the political and health service decision makers and the public we serve. We have to have the confidence and commitment to expand our activities and to be properly rewarded for these services.
The need for leadership in this situation has never been greater.
An ability to bring parties together and build on common goals is crucial.
In this past year I have worked hard at making significant contacts which have worked to good effect. I am sure a second term will strengthen these connections and more will be achieved.
As the profession is tackling these challenges, the Society has to gear itself up to help facilitate and support changes. This has started with the road shows and a more positive public relations effort. Plans are in hand at Lambeth to ensure that members using the headquarters will find facilities much more user friendly.
I have endeavoured to get the Council working together better, and I have tried to meet individual Council members' anxieties whenever I can. I have been very struck by the commitment of my fellow Council members and by the strong feeling which they show towards wanting pharmacy to succeed and to be better positioned within the health service. This has reinforced my view that harnessing this goodwill and leading the Council is the way forward.
The new ways of working have taken time to settle and it is clear that they were much overdue and will still need monitoring. However, the benefits are coming through with the Society able to work in a more proactive way. With good policy papers coming from the Policy Support Unit (PSU) the Council has worked in a much more focused, strategic way. Consultations with the membership, (most recently the revised Code of Ethics and continuing professional development) are strengthening our policy development. We still need to feel more comfortable about the opportunities for Council members and the membership to feed into the scoping exercises coming from the PSU. Good policies give the profession and the Society much greater credibility.
The groups which I initiated at the beginning of my year, on greater transparency, election of the President and Officers and the committees and their chairmen, have also put some new systems in place - again there will need to be further development and adjustment as we go forward; however they have been subjects which have exercised both members and the Council.
We have now put in place a code of conduct for Council members and an audit committee will begin working from this summer. I have worked very hard to get a greater understanding of corporate governance and the responsibility that being a Council member brings.
There is also a need for the profession to stop navel-gazing and to take a wider view and see where it can contribute to the health of the nation. We do it every day, but it is largely unsung and unrecognised. This is something I should like to address more positively. Engaging the public and patient groups is really important, and as they realise what we do and what we can do for them we shall have others wanting pharmacy to be included in the health plans at both a local and national level.
I know that a second term of office as President will help build on the considerable achievements of last year. A successful President can only deliver for the profession with the active support of the Council and members.