Extra funding for 50 branches
A total of 50 branches of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society are to receive extra funding to support their meetings during 2004.
In response to feedback at the 2003 branch secretaries’ meeting,
the Society invited all its 130 branches to apply for additional funding.
The 50 applications submitted were judged against quality criteria by
a panel that included branch secretaries, members of the Council and
Society staff. The criteria included supporting continuing professional
development, meeting priority topics such as supplementary prescribing
and medicines management, holding multidisciplinary meetings and encouraging
new attenders at meetings.
All 50 applications were successful. The payments made range from £250
to £4,000.
Council member Dr Nicola Gray, who has been closely involved with the
work to support the branch network, said: “The branches have a
key role to play in the future development of the profession. The 2001 ‘Shaping
up for the future’ review helped identify the need for change and
this is now happening.”
She also praised the work of branches taking part in a pilot scheme looking
at a branch model for the future. She said: “Nine branches are
exploring new ways of organising their programmes in order to capture
best practice and appeal to a wider pharmacist audience.”
Looking ahead, Dr Gray acknowledged that the branch network would be
heavily involved in supporting CPD. She said that the Society was developing
a toolkit to support CPD in the branches. It would be available for the
autumn. She added that the Society is also recruiting a team of trained
facilitators to help support CPD in the branches.
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal