The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7251 p772
31 May 2003

Society summary

Society restructures its directorates

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has announced a new directorate structure designed to take the organisation forward, strengthening its integrated roles as a modern regulatory body and professional organisation for pharmacy. The number of directorates will increase from five to seven, with three new director posts to be filled.

As part of its reform of the Society and its ways of working, the Council had asked the Secretary and Registrar to come forward with proposals for a new structure that would support the Society's operations in line with best management practice. Proposals were agreed by the Council in March, since when detailed job descriptions have been finalised.

The first two posts being recruited are the Director of Practice and Quality Improvement and the Director of Fitness to Practise and Legal Affairs (see advertisement, pA33). Between them, these two directors will take on key roles previously undertaken through the Professional Standards Directorate and the Professional Development Directorate.

The Director of Practice and Quality Improvement will manage: the setting of standards in practice development, clinical governance, education and continuing professional development; development of professional ethics and values; and development of the Society's professional leadership role.

The Director of Fitness to Practise and Legal Affairs will manage: fitness to practise strategy; inspection, investigation and enforcement of fitness to practise in pharmacy; and other legal affairs.

In addition, a new directorate will oversee corporate and strategic development, corporate resource such as policy development and research, the human resource strategy and performance management. This post will be recruited shortly.

A new directorate, to be led by Philip Green, current Deputy Secretary and Director of Professional Development, will manage the Society's registers and all education matters, including pharmacy degree accreditation, continuing professional development and issues such as specialist postgraduate qualifications. Mr Green will retain his role as Deputy Secretary and will also be designated Deputy Registrar.

The Resources Directorate will continue to manage finance, information technology and property. A new Director of Resources, to replace acting director Hugh Mitchell, is in the final stages of recruitment.

The Publications Directorate, led by Charles Fry, will remain unchanged for the present, although detailed proposals for a new organisational structure are being drawn up which will enable the entire publications programme to be developed and managed more effectively.

The remit of the Public Affairs Directorate, led by Beverley Parkin, will remain unchanged: communications, political relations, membership services, information services, science support and the British Pharmaceutical Conference.

Ann Lewis, Secretary and Registrar, said: "My team and I are committed to continually improving the way we implement the Council's policies and decisions for the profession. We are all determined to achieve more joined up ways of working: in today's environment, we have to ensure that our work benefits from the collective expertise across the organisation. Our new structure will bring us the benefit of additional senior management capacity and help us focus on quality outcomes."

The Society's current directorate structure dates back to 1998, when its six long-established departments were reorganised into five directorates on the recommendation of a group established to implement the Banks report on the Society's ways of working (PJ, 7 March 1998, p334).