The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7189 p348
16 March 2002

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Which way should the Society go? [more]
Let us share pharmacy PGDs [more]

Which way should the Society go?

By the beginning of this week, over 370 pharmacists had responded to the survey we published four weeks ago (PJ, 16 February, p226). It coincided with the publication of the discussion paper "The remit and functions of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society: what are the options for the future?" by the Society's modernisation steering group. Respondents were asked to consider five options that the Society could take in the future, following the Government's expectation that all health professions need to modernise their regulatory frameworks.

The overwhelming majority of those who responded were in favour of the option that would enable the Society to retain the regulatory and professional roles that it currently enjoys, but reform the mechanics for carrying out those roles (full results here). Even if this is the route down which the profession eventually chooses to go, the journey will not be completely smooth. One of the concepts that many pharmacists will have to grasp (and this extends to some leading members of the profession) is that modernisation may change for ever their understanding of where the Society's remit begins and ends. Philip Green (Deputy Secretary and Professional Development Director) writes in this week's issue about one aspect of this change in understanding: the thorny issue of what membership of the Society really means. Pharmacists will need to absorb the significance of this in order for modernisation, in whatever form it takes, to be successful.

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Let us share pharmacy PGDs

This week we carry an article (p371) that describes the patient group directions website at www.groupprotocols.org.uk and considers the website's future needs. The website was set up by a pharmacist and is currently funded by a pharmacy practice unit. Yet pharmacists do not appear to have made much use of it.

A glance at the website reveals that currently there are 121 PGDs available to view. Only five relate to pharmacy. Of the rest, one relates to health visitors, five to radiographers, seven to midwives, 14 to chiropodists and podiatrists and an impressive 89 to nurses.

We are sure that there must be many more than five pharmacy PGDs in operation and we would encourage the pharmacists involved to submit them to the website. The sharing of these important protocols can only benefit the profession.

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