The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7317 p368
18 September 2004

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End of the tunnel? more
Seen and now heard more

End of the tunnel?

At last, the Council of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has agreed that the draft Royal Charter should be formally put forward to the Privy Council for final consideration by the Queen (or rather her representatives in government). The decision was made at an extra formal Council meeting held this week following a discussion on the membership ballot on the draft Charter carried out earlier this summer.

It may come as little surprise that the discussion was not completely harmonious. Some difficulties were encountered when points raised by the Privy Council’s own advisers were discussed. Members of the Society’s Council had to take on board that the draft Charter, which was circulated with The Journal of 17 July, would not be acceptable in its entirety and, whatever objections the Society’s Council put forward, a number of points would not be reinstated by the Privy Council.

For some supporters of the Save Our Society group this was a step backwards — particularly over points relating to the role of some resolutions passed at special general meetings (to be explained in full in next week’s issue of The Journal). However, the consequences for Society members and pharmacy itself of deciding not to proceed with the draft Charter were clear. In the end, three members of Council voted against taking the Charter any further while the rest accepted that, although compromises had been made, it is the best way forward. It was agreed, however, that the Council’s comments and reservations about the Privy Council’s changes would be communicated to it.

So is it all over? It ultimately depends on what the Queen is advised and whether or not she will sign and seal the document — although this should be no more than a formality and the new Charter will come into being early next year.

As far as the profession is concerned, the shouting should be at an end; the Council will be able to spend the next few months planning for the future. The reconstituted Council, after all, will come into being the day after the annual general meeting in May 2005. It seems to have been a long time coming but members should be reassured that the Society is now out of the darkness.

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Seen and now heard

Pharmacists are given a central role in delivering the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services published earlier this week (p369). Like the NSF for Older People there is a complete document (Standard 10) devoted to medicines management. The recommendations — which put children at the centre of their care — envisage delivery involving the education and social services as well as the health service. Some of the standards will only take a little common sense to implement; others involve massive rethinks and changes in national policy. Let us hope that the Government will make sure the money is put in the right places to ensure delivery is achieved.

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