The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7369 p403
1 October 2005

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BPC News summary

First steps taken towards national boards

The Scottish and Welsh executives of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society have met to discuss the composition of their national boards and how they might be appointed, Douglas Simpson, member of Council, announced at a BPC update meeting on the Society’s devolution review.

The Society has accepted the review in principle and there has also been a preliminary meeting in England to discuss how the English board might be constituted, he revealed.

Mr Simpson reported that he had put forward the view that since the proposed English board is, essentially, a representative body it should have some kind of sectoral representation, for example, with members drawn from the Industrial Pharmacists Group, the Community Pharmacists Group and the Hospital Pharmacists Group. It was also suggested at the meeting that board members could be appointed by a general election.

Presenting an overview of the review, Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, chairman of the Society’s devolution review group, said that devolution, in terms of governments and health services, was a change that the Society needed to respond to.

The large amount of power held by the Scottish Parliament might need special consideration.

For example, although the Society’s new Charter makes provision for technicians who operate within the field of pharmacy, this is a “new profession” and, as such, would come within the remit of the Scottish Parliament, Lord Fraser said. “It does not matter a jot what the Charter says. If the Scottish Parliament wishes to exercise esponsibility for pharmaceutical technicians it would be entitled so to do,” he explained. However, he guessed that the Scottish Parliament would not do this.

Lord Fraser also said that although the Welsh Assembly has less power than the Scottish Parliament, the Society should anticipate that “Wales, in the fullness of time — maybe as soon as next year — will enjoy the same authority over all health matters as are enjoyed in Scotland at present”.