The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 276 No 7404 p678
10 June 2006

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· Education (2)
· NHS funding
· Complementary medicine
· Electronic prescribing
· The profession
· Women in politics
· Packaging design
· Statutory Committee
· Annual general meeting
· Council expenses
· Regulation
· Section 60 Order
· Council election

Letters to the Editor

Annual general meeting

Members must be allowed to ask questions

From Mr A. J. Burr, MRPharmS

Members will be aware that I have sought to persuade the President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Hemant Patel, to stand aside while the investigation into the actions of North East London Local Pharmaceutical Committee continue. Despite making a statement to the Council in December 2005, he has failed to respond to numerous members’ requests for a public statement. The North East London Strategic Health Authority has now received the findings of the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service (CFSMS) and sent copies to the PCTs involved and the LPC. I sought to question the President directly on these matters at the annual general meeting, but the meeting refused to hear my questions and I was asked to sit down (PJ, 3 June, p662). Whatever one’s view on the matter, an individual member must have the right to ask a question at an AGM. Moreover, no individual is bigger than the profession and the President must be accountable to the membership. The questions I wanted Mr Patel to address to address were as follows:

· Did he feel that the association of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and the investigations of North East London LPC had hampered the ability of the Society to build influence with key stakeholders?

· Having recently written as President to all the chief executives of the SHAs to encourage them to involve pharmacy in their plans, what response would he expect from the chief executive officer of North East London SHA, who had commissioned the Bates report and CFSMS audit into the LPC, the organisation he represents as its secretary and treasurer?

· Could he give the profession an assurance that he would not seek a second term as President until the matter was finally closed and the findings made public?

Despite not being allowed to put my questions, I was astounded that at the close of the meeting the President made the unprecedented announcement that he intended to seek a second term in office. At the time of writing, I do not know the outcome of the presidential election, but without the full findings of the investigations into the actions of NEL LPC being made public and Mr Patel’s willingness to make any public statement on the matter, my position remains unchanged: it is simply untenable for Mr Patel to continue in his role as President and, for the sake of the entire profession, he should stand aside until the matter is resolved.

Andrew J. Burr
Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands

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