The Society

June council meeting

Election of Society’s Officers for 2001-02
Marshall Davies’s policy statement

Election of Society’s Officers for 2001-02

In the election of the Society’s Officers for 2001–02, the Council on June 6 chose Marshall Davies as President and Dr Gillian Hawksworth as Vice-President. David Allen was re-elected Treasurer.

The SECRETARY AND REGISTRAR advised the Council that for the election of President she had received one nomination. That was from Mr Davies. She had circulated his election address to Council members. In the absence of other nominations, she asked the Council to confirm his nomination. [Agreed]

The new PRESIDENT (Mr Davies) thanked Council members for confirming him as President for the coming year. He said that he could think of no greater honour for a member of the profession than to be chosen as President.

He thanked Christine Glover and complimented her on her leadership of the profession during the past two years. They had been years of notable achievement and she should be proud of the results achieved. The President said he was also aware that the past two years had not been without their difficulties. Mrs Glover had successfully overcome those with her typical vigour, directness and enthusiasm. On a personal note, he had much appreciated her encouragement and guidance.

Turning to the year ahead, the President said that he believed that three major issues faced the Society. First was the delivery of pharmacists’ and pharmacy’s contribution to the NHS national plans in the three home countries. Expectations had been raised in the minds of health ministers and, importantly, the membership. The Council would be expected to deliver the results in the interests and satisfaction of all those groups.

The second issue was the development of the research base. That should become an integral part of the way that the Council went about and developed its business. It was to underpin the future development of the profession and indeed convince those who would demand objective and disinterested justification for proposals and assertions about the benefits that pharmacists and the profession could and would bring in the future.

The third area was satisfying the public interest expectation. That of course was required of the Council and the profession at a time when the self-governance of the profession was being closely scrutinised and plans made for the future.

An implication of those issues was a need for changes in structure, organisation and ways of working. The Council had already made excellent progress over the past two to three years, but they were not there yet. To deliver on those issues, Council members needed to satisfy themselves collectively and individually that the Council’s organisation and structure were fit for the purpose. To summarise, they needed to modernise what they did and how they did it, moving on from where they were.

The task was significant and not to be underestimated. But he believed that the individual and collective knowledge and expertise of the Council made it achievable. The President intended to include all members of Council, through committees, through working parties and in representing the Council with other bodies, talking specifically to other professions, governments and not least patient and consumer interests.

That would be made much easier if they worked collectively and constructively. It was inevitable that Council members would hold different views. But when policies were agreed, those policies should be mutually consistent and robust. Members of Council, and members of the profession, would be strengthened if policies could be put over to those people to whom they wished to communicate clearly and single-mindedly.

So the President looked forward to leading the Council and listening to all their views and concerns. He asked that none of them should dwell on problems or shortcomings: all should concentrate on and emphasise solutions. The President wanted a solutions-based Council — particularly on the issues that might tax them significantly.

The President then presented the past President’s medallion to the immediate past President, Mrs Glover.

Mrs GLOVER, in response, thanked the Council for the opportunity to be President for the past two years. It had been a great privilege to serve the profession.

Mrs Glover said that on joining the Council eight years ago she had had considerable reservations about the future of community pharmacy. Now she was filled with confidence for the profession. She was sure that there was a promised land for them. But the Council had to take the opportunities now to get on with working out how to implement the plans that they had set for future generations.

The Council did not have all the solutions, but then neither did anyone else. Pharmacists liked to know where they were going, but if they sat and waited to find out exactly how it was, the boat would sail without them.

So the Society had to work with the stakeholders to determine how the plans would be implemented. Young pharmacists would find the new world of pharmacy much more satisfying.

Council members still had a lot to do to rationalise their work. They had to drop some other things that they always liked doing, but in the present times of financial constraint, they were not a priority.

So, what had they achieved? Corporate governance; a new code of ethics; the Health Act Order and new regulatory structures, patient group directions, prescribing, continuing professional development pilots, split preregistration years and emergency hormonal contraception, to mention a few. That was a pretty good list of what they had achieved in the past two years. The Council should feel positive about that.

The profession had a much higher profile. Communication had been good. The support that Mrs Glover had received from the public relations unit had been tremendous. The Society had a good relationship with ministers, with the Department of Health, with the executives in all three countries. So they had achieved much; but there was still an enormous agenda ahead.

Mrs Glover said that she was sure that under the new President’s steady hand they would move forward.

She thanked the staff for the support they had given at Lambeth, York Place and Cardiff. She thanked the Council for their support and confidence in her as President. She urged all Council members to work together for the greater good of the profession and not for themselves in order to make sure that pharmacy was in a secure, effective position in the world of health care in the future.

Vice-President

After a short break, the Council moved on to the election of the Vice-President and the Treasurer. The PRESIDENT called for nominations for the Vice-Presidency, and Alan Nathan, Dr Gillain Hawksworth and Ashwin Tanna each nominated themselves.

The PRESIDENT reminded Council members that, following the procedures laid down, they would now take a vote. If one candidate received more than 50 per cent of the votes, that person would be deemed to have been elected Vice-President. If no candidate received a majority of votes in the first ballot, the candidate given the least number of votes would be eliminated and the procedure would be repeated.

The ballot having taken place, the PRESIDENT announced that there were 11 votes for Dr Hawksworth, seven for Mr Nathan and four for Mr Tanna. Twenty-two votes had been cast.

The requirement that a candidate receive a majority of votes not having been met, the Council moved to a second vote, with the election between Dr Hawksworth and Mr Nathan only.

After the ballot had taken place, the PRESIDENT said that there were 10 votes for Mr Nathan and 12 for Dr Hawksworth, who was therefore elected.

The VICE-PRESIDENT (Dr Hawksworth), in response, said that as an opportunity for service it was a great honour to accept the office. She realised the huge responsibility that came with it and the enormity of the work to be done to deliver the future for their profession. As a clinical community pharmacist she was no stranger to such burdens. With the right infrastructure in place, including both human and financial resources, it was possible to achieve the best patient-focused pharmaceutical service. Anything less would be an abdication of pharmacists’ professional responsibility.

The Vice-President pledged to support the President and help him achieve his goals for the profession and for the Council.

The Vice-President thanked the Council for their vote of confidence in her. She hoped to encourage and foster a Council united in a progressive leadership for their profession. She offered her energy and her passion for the profession.

Treasurer

The PRESIDENT asked for self-nominations for the post of Treasurer. David Allen and Hassan Argomandkhah nominated themselves for the post.

The Council proceeded to a vote and the PRESIDENT reported that there were 15 votes for Mr Allen and seven for Mr Argomandkhah. Mr Allen was therefore elected Treasurer of the Society.

The TREASURER thanked his colleagues. All were aware of the financial challenges that they had ahead, and the Treasurer said he would not step back from those during the next year. He assured the new President and the Vice-President of his support for the team of Officers and the Council.

He would not cease to remind all Council members all of their financial responsibilities throughout the year, whatever initiatives they were involved in and however much the cost was. He looked forward to a surplus budget in the coming years.

Secretary

On the motion of the President, the Council appointed Ann Lewis as Secretary of the Society for 2001–02.

Marshall Davies’s policy statement

Under the mechanism agreed by the Council for the election of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Officers, candidates for the Presidency are required to produce an address of up to 1,000 words to demonstrate to the Council how they measure up to the job specification and to set out their policies. The following is the address produced by Marshall Davies.

I nominate myself for the all important post of President of our Society and seek your endorsement. If chosen, I intend to work diligently to lead the profession effectively and promote the Council’s agreed strategy and policies in the public arena.

The prospect for the profession and our members is tantalising. Never before has there been endorsement for the future of pharmacy as is now seen in official publications in England, Scotland and Wales. The direction of travel for health management and within that the future for pharmacy has been defined, as have key milestones. These high level policies now have to be developed and translated into detailed practical policies for day to day implementation. The Council has a significant part to play on bringing this to fruition.

Yet this is a critical time for our members. There is the prospect of significant change in organisation, structure and delivery of health management focussing on patient benefit. This in turn will lead to development and change in the roles, responsibilities, training and remuneration of our members. Some may be fearful or distressed. Leadership is necessary to manage the change and also to inform, educate and help individuals.

However, change is inevitable for the foreseeable future and the Council will need to safeguard the interests of the profession by ensuring that pharmacists play their rightful role in the management of the health of the nation.

Great Britain now has three distinct health management systems. These are likely to diverge, as England, Scotland and Wales seek to satisfy the specific needs of their populations. The Council’s structure and organisation should reflect the implications of devolution while maintaining universal professional standards and also reflecting the reserve powers of the UK Parliament. I believe a working group should be established promptly to review the requirements, and make recommendations for the future structure and organisation of the Council and the Society.

The introduction of corporate governance now provides the basis to fulfil the requirements for legal, commercial, financial and professional probity and accountability. A small number of outstanding issues need to be introduced. Although at an early stage, the policies are proving to be effective and beneficial in providing transparency and managing risk. I believe corporate governance should be embedded in the culture of the Council and Society so that it demonstrates high integrity to members, the public and the authorities.

The Society needs to work with other partners to integrate the delivery of health care. The emphasis with the other bodies in pharmacy should be to identify and promote common purpose for mutual benefit. Links with other professional groups and health care providers, together with patient groups and representatives, should be strengthened. The Council has a key role to play in providing leadership for the benefit of members.

Despite injection of substantial new monies, the NHS will continue to be under pressure to meet all its objectives. The pharmacy and pharmacist resources have been under-utilised in the past and the Council and the Society should work positively and constructively to assist health officials in attaining their objectives.

The Society’s resources are finite and, faced with a huge and expanding agenda and wish list, careful husbandry to produce the greatest benefit for the profession and members is necessary.

The Society’s staff are a vital asset as they are the “engine room” for radar and policy development and preparation. Although the management of staff is the accountability of the Secretary and Registrar, I believe the Council should be both supportive and also encourage the appointment and development of high calibre staff in order to meet the future requirements of the profession. A business plan incorporating the principal objectives and priorities is necessary for Council to examine, consider and agree.

Increased efficiency and changes in the ways of working in all organisations will be stimulated by improvements in the quality and extent of available information. It is vitally important that the Society continues to recognise, develop and make full use of the IT infrastructure. I believe there is a continued need to monitor and reflect upon the appropriateness of the existing arrangements.

The Council profits from the wide range of activity and expertise of its members who come from diverse backgrounds with differing levels of experience and knowledge. The strength of the Council is derived from the synergy that is generated. My experience of Council suggests that it works best when it is cohesive and focused on specific issues. It is my belief that Council should be solution based, positive and constructive in tone and style. No one will provide solutions for Council, only the Council itself.

Finally, information about the Council’s policies and activities needs to be promoted clearly and concisely to our members, and also to opinion formers in all sectors. The aim is to educate and inform objectively, explaining the rationale for the decisions taken and their expected outcome.

Our members in the future will judge the Council not on what it said but what it achieved and delivered for the profession and themselves. Collectively this is a huge responsibility, and in putting my name forward for nomination I seek to spearhead the activities of what I hope and expect to be a forward thinking, goal orientated Council.