The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7233 p117
25 January 2003

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Letters to the Editor

The Society

Fear for the future of our branch

From Mr M. C. Potten, MRPharmS, and others

Dr Chris Green is concerned about the involvement of the pharmaceutical industry in the sponsorship of local branch meetings (PJ, 4 January, p15). Although we have never believed that any of our industry speakers or sponsors have exerted undue bias, he is probably right to indicate concern. With the new funding of the branches to be introduced this year, it is certain that the branch structure will only survive with a greater involvement of the pharmaceutical industry. The Slough branch has been an active branch for many years and organises a programme of eight or nine meetings a year. We have always arranged for a buffet before the meetings to accommodate members coming directly from work and the cost of a meeting is therefore around £250. This alone means we need a budget of £2,250 before the cost of mailings, programme card and general expenses are added.

Over the past years, we have been able to obtain sponsorship from the pharmaceutical industry for most of our meetings and have, through prudent budgeting, built up a bank balance to enable us to carry out this programme. However, we have been well aware that one poor year could wipe out our financial buffer. Now we have been told that our grant from the Society for next year will be nearly halved to £1,020 and also that, because of our responsible budgeting in the past, we are not allowed to apply for the extra funds that the Society has put aside for the branches since our bank balance stands at greater than £1,000.

We fear for the future of our branch.

M. Potten
Chairman

J. Berrill
Honorary Secretary

J. Keegan
Honorary Treasurer

R. C. Mills
Committee Member
Slough and District Branch

Take account of the Charter

From Mr D. Simpson, FRPharmS

The President, in his New Year's message (PJ, January 4, p31), misrepresents the position of members concerned about the direction of travel of the Society's modernisation process. He claims that such members feel the Society should be exempt from change because it is "more than a regulator". In reality, these members are not opposed to change per se. What they are asking is that change takes account of the special nature of the Society, which, unlike all other health regulators, is a professional association with a Royal Charter.

 Douglas Simpson
Beckenham, Kent

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