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The Society
You can’t be serious!
From Mr D. I. Simpson, FRPharmS
You suggest that too
much time should not be spent on deciding whether
the Royal Pharmaceutical Society should split, because there are more important
things to talk about (PJ, September 9, p298).
Do you really believe that? Do you consider that the very future of the
body that more than any other has championed the pharmacy profession in
Britain and nurtured its development is less important than any of the
various issues that are currently on the agenda?
In reality, the Council faces a difficult time as it seeks to decide on
the kind of future that it wants to see for the Society and then sets out
to gain members’ and Government’s approval for what it has
in mind. Once such consensus has been achieved, a great deal of thought
will have to be given to putting any decision into effect.
The national chief pharmaceutical officers, who play a major role in advising
the Privy Council, have given a steer on the way they think things need
to go: daylight will have to be put between the Society’s representative
role and its regulatory role and that could mean (should mean?) having
two bodies (PJ, September 9, p299). And the Foster and the Donaldson reviews
have made it clear that the regulatory role will require greater lay involvement
and a predominantly appointed Council.
Thus, it can be seen that the price the Society is being asked to pay to
retain a role in regulation is getting higher and higher. This price has
already diminished the privilege that members enjoy of electing the Council,
by reducing the proportion they can elect from 87.5 per cent to 56.7 per
cent. Now the pressure is on to reduce that proportion to less than half
and maybe even to zero. This might be regarded by some as reasonable for
regulation, but it would disable the Society as a professional representative
body.
The Society is the only body that represents pharmacists as pharmacists.
It has done so since its foundation. Its future in such a role is on the
line. If there are bigger issues than this at the present time in UK pharmacy,
I do not know what they are.
Douglas Simpson
Member of Council
Royal Pharmaceutical Society |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal