The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 268 No 7203 p868
22 June 2002

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Hands across the sea: should the Society merge with Northern Ireland?

Other health regulators operate across the United Kingdom. As part of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s modernisation programme, should it consider a merger with the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland? Jonathan Buisson investigates

Having a single regulatory and professional body for pharmacy across the United Kingdom would bring the profession into line with all the other main health bodies. Indeed, some Government officials clearly believed this was already the case (until the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland pointed out their mistake). Would a single body bring extra benefit to pharmacy?

The PSNI was established by the Pharmacy and Poisons Act (Northern Ireland) 1925 following the partition of Ireland and the establishment of a Northern Ireland Parliament. Before that, pharmacists in Ireland had been members of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland and a number retained joint registration.

Today the PSNI has around 1,700 members, of whom about three-quarters are community pharmacists. It is governed by a council which currently consists of 18 members who are directly elected, two representatives of the Queen's University of Belfast and one representative of wholesalers.

In theory, a further two places are available; one for a member of the medical profession and one for a representative of registered druggists. Sheila Maltby, secretary and registrar of the PSNI, says that while the latter group appears to have died out, the appointment of a doctor has been hindered by the abolition of a government committee which would have made the relevant nomination.

Like the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the PSNI is also seeking reform of its council and its statutory committee to bring in the involvement of lay members.

"The PSNI is like the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in miniature," Ms Maltby says. "Anything it is considering, we are also looking at." As well as regulatory reform, the subject of mandatory continuing professional development is under discussion. The PSNI recently raised its retention fee from £120 to £150 (effective for its registration year which started on 1 June) to cover some of the associated costs.

Pharmacy in Northern Ireland is a close-knit affair. The PSNI shares its offices at 73 University Street, Belfast, with the Ulster Chemists Association (UCA) and the Pharmaceutical Contractors Committee (PCC). The UCA is a trade association representing pharmacy owners and is affiliated to the National Pharmaceutical Association. Terry Hannawin is a member of the council of both the UCA and the PSNI, and chief executive of the PCC. He is also the current chairman of the NPA. He says that the subject of a merger between the two pharmaceutical societies is not one that is high on any current agenda.

"There has been no great demand for amalgamation from either the PSNI or the Royal Pharmaceutical Society over the years," Mr Hannawin says.

"I have been on the council of the PSNI for over 20 years and we have never had any discussion of a merger."

He believes that pharmacists in Northern Ireland cherish their independence and would be concerned about how they might be represented if a merger went ahead.

Representation

One of the drivers behind the reform of the current arrangements of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Council is a need to take greater account of the effects of devolution. Pharmacists in Scotland and Wales are underrepresented on the Council (PJ, 8 June, p796) and some way of addressing this is likely to be sought.

One way of including Northern Ireland might be to transform the PSNI's existing council into an autonomous executive, similar to the Society's Scottish and Welsh Executives, and to have a seat reserved on Council for a representative of it, perhaps its president or chairman.

Mr Hannawin says that any proposal would have to be considered carefully in Northern Ireland. "The whole thrust these days is for devolution and the delegation of power downwards — a merger like this would be going against that trend."

The PSNI already enjoys a close working relationship with the Society. As there is reciprocal registration between the two bodies, both are keen to maintain parity in standards for education and practice. Recent meetings have included the chief pharmacists for the four home countries as well as representatives of the two societies.

According to the Society's official historian, Sydney Holloway, the roots of the separation go back to the foundation of the Pharmaceutical Society itself in 1841. At that time Ireland as a whole was part of the United Kingdom. However, the position of apothecaries in Dublin was different from that of the chemists and druggists of London, being more akin to the situation that existed in Edinburgh. The Edinburgh apothecaries had personal friendships and trading links with London, but this was not the case with Dublin. Thus the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain was formed.

Federation for pharmacy

An alternative way of bringing together all the pharmacists in the United Kingdom would be through a federal arrangement. Separate pharmaceutical societies could be established for Scotland, Wales and England (or its regions) and these, together with the PSNI, could come under the umbrella of a single Royal Pharmaceutical Society. This body would handle registration and other professional activities, such as publishing and information provision, where economies of scale could be obtained.

Detailed pharmacy practice policy and its implementation would be in the hands of the individual societies, aligned closely to the devolved political structure. This might help to overcome one of the current conflicts whereby health is a devolved issue for the parliamentary executives in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but professional regulation is not.

Whose benefit?

Superficially, a merger between the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the PSNI to create a single pharmacy body for the UK might seem attractive. However, it is difficult to see exactly what benefit this might have for individual pharmacists on either side of the Irish Sea. Economies of scale in registration and administration might be possible, but the resultant savings would probably be lost in the costs of a merger or the growing need for funds for projects such as CPD. With considerable amounts of time being devoted by both societies towards internal and professional reform, it is easy to see why pursuing a completely new arrangement for running the profession is not high on anyone's list of things to do.