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Letters to the Editor
|
Council election
There are usually five different categories of candidate
From Mr S. J.Gibbs, MRPharmS
I can empathise with Chris
Cooper (PJ, 27 May, p624) that he and Pradip
Patel failed to gain election to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s
Council.
There are some kernels of truth in his letter, however, there may be
other possible explanations. It could be the case that Boots pharmacists
are disappointed with their leadership’s stance on such issues
as late night opening and remote supervision or past stances such as
the block voting for the pharmacy contract.
Mr Cooper expressed concern at the level of voting and concluded the
membership perceived that they could not make a difference or were not
interested. Having worked for Boots for many years I object to the implication
that not voting for him makes me disloyal to the company. I have worked
hard for the company and consider myself to be loyal, a caring professional
who puts the patients first. I do not see what this has to do with my
decision as to whether I should vote for a particular person.
Since only around 20 per cent of the members voted, it is clear that
the Royal Pharmaceutical Society has failed to engage with its membership
in a meaningful manner. This may be attributed to the type of candidates
attracted to elections, who generally appear to fall into one or more
of the following categories:
- People working to an agenda of an organisation
- Politicians working
to a government-imposed agenda
- People seeking
self-gratification
- Professional committee members who
have no grasp of what happens at the
coal-face
- Dreamers and visionaries who have lost touch with reality
I would urge all candidates, successful or not, to go through one or
more continuing professional development cycles to reflect, plan, act,
record and evaluate on their role in this and in subsequent elections.
Steve Gibbs
Arnesby,
Leicestershire |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal