The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7211 p232
17 August 2002

Society summary

Welsh Executive:
Ready to respond to the challenges ahead

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Welsh Executive is now in a strong position to respond to the challenges ahead, executive chairman Andrea Robinson told the 26th annual general meeting for members in Wales, held at Techniquest, Cardiff Bay, on 10 July. Challenges include dthe pharmacy plan for Wales, which was expected shortly, and the Society's modernisation programme, which still had much to do.

Activity was accelerating following the appointments of the new secretary to the executive, Cath O'Brien, and her personal assistant, Lisa L'homme. In addition, a freelance journalist, Julie Moar, was working for the executive for two days a month. A former member of staff of the Society's public relations unit, she had been developing coverage of Welsh issues in the national pharmacy press and more recently in the local press.

Giving the annual report for 2001, Mrs Robinson said that at the start of 2001 the executive had submitted a request for a modest increase in its budget. However, because the Council had had to impose budget cuts throughout the Society, the Welsh executive budget for 2001 was some £30,000 less than requested and some £2,800 less than for 2000. In the event, the budget had been underspent, partly because of the relative lack of activity, the resignations of the former secretary to the executive (Erica Barrie) and her assistant, and the temporary closure of the office in Cardiff for some six weeks.

During the year, a number of members of the National Assembly for Wales had been approached with regard to a conducted tour of a pharmacy and a number of such visits took place. The visits had varied considerably and were tailored to the requests and interests of the Assembly Members involved.

It had been agreed in 2001 to hold the January executive meeting outside Cardiff to make the executive more visible, and this year's January meeting had been held in North Wales, with a reception on the previous evening for local pharmacists and opinion formers, including guests from the trusts, health authority and local health groups.

Concluding, Mrs Robinson said that the executive had worked effectively as a team, particularly during the weeks when the office in Cardiff was closed. She thanked the members of the executive and also Colin Hitchings, who had stepped in as acting secretary on an interim basis after Mrs Barrie's resignation. His vast experience of pharmacy issues in Britain and overseas had been of significant value to the executive.