Health Minister supports moves to strengthen Society's leadership role
Rosie Winterton, left, with the Society’s President, Dr Gill
Hawksworth |
Moves to strengthen the Society's leadership role were supported by health minister Rosie Winterton, when she addressed a dinner during the February
Council meeting.
Ms Winterton said that professional self-regulation is not just about
poor performance. The Society, she said, already encompasses many of
the elements of modern professional regulation and is working hard to
make changes to ensure greater transparency, accountability and public
involvement in its processes.
“Our vision is of a strengthened Royal Pharmaceutical Society which
continues to operate at arm’s length from Government. I am sure
the reforms will enhance your ability to provide strong, independent
leadership and
advocacy for the profession as a whole.”
Commenting on the need for more pharmacist, she said: “As well
as training more pharmacists, we must ensure that they are competent
and meet the changing needs of patients.”
In her opening comments, she said that pharmacy is very much part of
a challenging agenda for improvement in the NHS.
On the role of prescribing pharmacists, Ms Winterton said: “The
Society has worked with us on pharmacist prescribing and has developed
the curriculum and accredited 12 courses, with more to follow. The first
pharmacists will be practising as supplementary prescribers shortly.
This is good for improving care and something I want to see expanding
rapidly throughout pharmacy.
She also said that she would address the issues of the reform of control
of entry and the new pharmacy contract when she spoke at the Pharmaceutical
Services Negotiating Committee dinner at the beginning of March.
More than 100 guests attended the evening. They included representatives
from government, health-related organisations, the law, academia, politics
and the media.
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal