The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7230 p31
4 January 2003

Society summary

From the President: A Society fit for purpose in a modern world

The President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Marshall Davies, reviews the progress of the Society's modernisation programme over the past year and examines areas in which major decisions need to be made in the new year

I doubt that any previous year has seen the Society's Council making so many momentous decisions about the future of the organisation and the profession. Council members, the Modernisation Steering Group and Society staff have worked flat out to frame, consult on and deliver proposals for the Society's future within the timetable indicated by Government. The overall aim is to achieve a modern regulatory and professional body committed to quality and improvement and to meeting its responsibilities to the public and profession.

On the fundamental issues about the future of the Society, there has been consensus among pharmacists. On occasion, the debate within the profession has aroused high emotion. In some instances, this was evidently because pharmacists value the Society and its place in their professional lives and fear losing the framework of support that it provides. Yet it is precisely because we wish to see the Society continue and flourish as a mainstay of professional practice that we need to ensure that it is fit for purpose in a modern world. Other health professional regulators are well ahead of the Society in submitting their proposals for reform through legislation and the Government's responses have provided a clear indication that the status quo is not an option for any health professional regulator. There are those in pharmacy who cry that the Society is different in that it is more than a regulator and that this ought to exempt it somehow from the need to change. Whereas the first point is true, the conclusion is not, and is frankly fatally out of touch with the expectations of the public and the Government.

By embracing the need to reform, pharmacy has ensured that it continues to influence the inevitable change process. In deciding that the Society should keep its integrated roles as a regulatory and professional body, the Council has recognised that this needs to be within a reformed organisation that meets modern requirements and is firmly based on the public interest.

Over the year, there has been a good deal of focus on the Society's current span of activities and it has become clear that there are few, if any, that cannot be retained into the future. Indeed, a considerable number of new activities are likely to be needed to underpin the development of the Society's regulatory and professional roles. The Council has taken some key decisions about its own composition that aim to bring the organisation's governance in line with modern thinking. There is a need to strengthen the work of the Council by greater involvement of the public, and the proposal to increase the Council's lay membership to between 30 and 40 per cent aims to achieve that. There is also a need to reflect the development of devolution, which is the objective of the proposal to have at least one pharmacist elected from England, Scotland and Wales on the Council. The Council also needs to reflect the broadening of the pharmacy "family", so, provided that technicians are regulated by the Society, there are plans to provide two places on the Council for them.

In parallel with drawing up plans for organisational reform, the Society is working to deliver proposals for its regulatory powers. Proposals for improved or new powers to protect the public are being thought through for the Council to consider, as are proposals for such developments as a requirement for continuing professional development.

A key theme throughout the work has been the need for robust and transparent mechanisms to ensure that the Council has access to specialist advice and expertise and is aware of the issues and concerns of sectors within the profession. The Council has already had a preliminary discussion on how this might be taken forward, although it recognises that it will be for the new Council to decide how it wishes to proceed. This could be achieved in a number of ways. One option, presented at the 2002 British Pharmaceutical Conference, is to establish expert professional advisory boards to bring issues to the Council's attention and to contribute to work on these issues. No decisions on this have yet been taken, and ideas are welcome. Once the deadlines for proposals for legislation have been met, the Council will consider these issues in more detail, potentially with a view to producing a proposal that the new Council can use to inform its decision-making on what committees and other structures it wishes to put in place.

The Council will also need to address the issue of the Society's Royal Charter. The Charter was originally granted in 1843 and superseded by supplementary Charters in 1901, 1948 and 1953. The Pharmacy Act also dates from 1954. This means that the foundations of the vast part of the Society's role and remit have not been overhauled for 50 years. The Council will need to decide whether completion of the Society's programme of reform, requires a modern Charter to sit alongside new legislation. There could be benefit in seeking a new charter, as well as new legislation to support the Society's regulatory and professional roles and the provision of clear, appropriate powers. This could ensure that the Society is fully equipped for its modern, integrated roles.

The modernisation process will not be completed this year or next. It means continual striving to improve our service to the public and to help pharmacists pursue their goal of professional excellence. As an organisation, we are investing heavily in this work because it will help secure the public's trust and confidence in both the Society and pharmacists. In my view, that is the single most important factor in the continued existence and value of any profession.