The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 274 No 7348 p545
7 May 2005

This article
Reprint   Photocopy

PDF 80K, Acrobat Reader

· Pharmacy technicians (4)
· Internet sites
· NAWP
· CPD
· Community pharmacy (3)
· Birdsgrove House (2)
· Council election (2)

Letters to the Editor

Council election

SOS has disenfranchised a sizeable proportion of the profession

From Mr S. J. Badcott, MRPharmS

From a hospital pharmacy perspective, the Save Our Society campaign in pursuit of its own agenda has, albeit unintentionally, disenfranchised a sizeable proportion of the profession. Many hospital pharmacists are rather cross about this and view with alarm the spectacular coup d’état that has resulted in the pharmacist members-elect of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Council coming almost entirely from the community sector. Consequently, the new Council appears ill-equipped to represent the interests of pharmacists working in hospital pharmacy and in other sectors of practice.

Given the maxim, “no taxation without representation”, serious consideration should now be given to the option of a registration-only membership fee so that non-community pharmacists can obtain suitable representation elsewhere.

Simon Badcott
Ticehurst, East Sussex

We must not blame the successful candidates or those who voted for them

From Mr W. T. Brookes, FRPharmS

I share with a number of your correspondents the disappointment of not having my preferred candidates elected in the recent Council election. This is no new experience to me but one I have learned to live with — even when I have been an unsuccessful candidate. The experience of those previous Council members who were not elected will undoubtedly be greatly missed. That applied also to those who decided not to seek re-election as well as those who were not allowed to stand.

But in our disappointment we must not blame the successful candidates, or those who voted for them, for what may be seen as an unbalanced Council. As in any election people vote (or not) for a variety of reasons and that is their right. We live in a democracy and must accept the will of the electorate — or those who choose to vote — whether we like the outcome or not. It reflects the lack of interest of the bulk of the membership and underlines a failure of communication that must be addressed.

The outcome is a new Council, few members of which have Council experience although not all are without experience in pharmaceutical affairs. They face a steep learning curve and will rely heavily on their more experienced colleagues and the staff at Lambeth in the first instance. They will have to prove their worth and show by their actions that they are working for the good of the profession and all its members. I expect this of any Council member and will judge these on how they face up to the challenges that lie ahead. There will always be others waiting to take their place.

W. T. Brookes
Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire

Send your letter to The Editor

Previous Topic (Birdsgrove House)