The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7190 p411-415
23 March 2002

Society summary

First wave of branch websites goes live

The first websites for Royal Pharmaceutical Society branches are now freely accessible. They can be reached by clicking on the "branches and regions" link from the "About the Society" section of the Society's website.

Branch websites are beginning to go live after an extensive trial involving a small proportion of the Society's 130 branches, with restricted access. As The Journal went to press, six sites were active and the number was hoped to rise to a dozen or more within a week, with a further 20 or so soon afterwards.

The Society has given the branches considerable freedom to use their sites as they wish. There are no rigid rules about content or design. The sites are maintained by branch members, and all content is the responsibility of the branch concerned. Each site is required to include a disclaimer stating that the Society has no role in determining its content, bears no responsibility for its accuracy and makes no representation, express or implied, concerning its accuracy, completeness or appropriateness.

The first site to go live was that of one of the Society's smaller branches, Moray and Banff, on 13 March. The site gives details of the branch's 2001–02 programme and a review of events in 2000–01. Within about a week of each meeting, a brief report of proceedings is added to the site for the benefit of those members who were unable to attend. The site includes a news page, plus information on the branch committee and brief details of the programmes of neighbouring branches and local meetings of the Scottish Centre for Post Qualification Pharmaceutical Education. There are also links to useful national and local websites.

The Moray and Banff site is maintained by branch secretary Gordon Largue, who told The Journal on 19 March that when the pilot first started he had no idea how to design web pages and upload them to the internet. He now finds it simple. The hardest work was the initial design of the site, and he can now keep it up to date with no more that two hours' work a month.

Mr Largue says that the trial version of the site was well received by branch members, a number of whom commented favourably on its design. He adds that, for a members-only site aimed at a branch with only about 60 members, its hit rate has been impressive, with more than 100 hits in most months of the trial and over 200 in some.

The second site to go live was that of the Bradford branch on 14 March. Designed and maintained by Kevin Frost, it lists forthcoming branch meetings, gives a report on 2000–01 activities and provides a number of links, including one to the Bradford Pharmacy Development Group site, which Mr Frost also maintains.

The other live sites are those of Harrow and Hillingdon (maintained by branch chairman Steven Curtis), Morgannwg (maintained by branch secretary Christina Lowe), Edinburgh and Lothians (maintained by Stuart McTaggart) and Sefton (maintained by Alex Jennings). Each gives information on future meetings, plus other news and contact details. The Harrow and Hillingdon site includes instructions and a map to help members find the regular venue for meetings.The Edinburgh and Lothians site gives each branch meeting its own detailed page. The Sefton site allows online confirmation of attendance at forthcoming branch meetings.