Society starts search for members to serve on new national boards
The search has begun for representatives of the profession to serve on the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's new national pharmacy boards for England, Scotland and Wales.
The first elections to the new boards are announced
on p431 by the Society’s
President, Hemant Patel, who urges practitioners to consider standing
for election.
Official Notices seeking the nomination of candidates for election appear
on p436.
The Society is calling for nominations of both pharmacists and pharmacy
technicians, subject to the eligibility criteria for each board. In England
and Wales there will be elections for 11 pharmacist board members and
one pharmacy technician member. In Scotland, where there are no plans
for pharmacy technicians to be regulated by the Society, all 12 elected
places will be filled by pharmacists. Five of the 11 places for pharmacists
in England will be reserved for representatives of the five main areas
of practice.
All candidates must be on the practising register. A candidates in Scotland
or Wales must have a registered addresses in that country. A candidate
for the English board must live or work wholly or mainly in England but
may have a registered address elsewhere in Britain.
Members of Council are not eligible to seek election to the Scottish
or Welsh board.
The deadline for receipt of nomination forms and supporting material
is noon on Friday 3 November. Nomination forms, a candidates’ pack
and further information about election to the boards, can be obtained
from the relevant returning officer or can be found on the Society's
website.
An individual’s address as registered at 5pm on 16 November will
determine which election that elector may vote in. It is expected that
voting papers will be posted to the electorate on Friday 8 December,
and voting will close at noon on Friday 12 January 2007.
Once their 12 elected members are in place, the Scottish and Welsh boards
will each be able to co-opt a further three members, should they so wish.
In England, there will be no co-options. The 12 elected members will
be joined by the pharmacist member of Council who represents the constituency
of England, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands — currently
Jonathan Buisson — plus one further pharmacist member of Council
and one lay member of Council, both appointed by the Council. At its
special meeting in September, the Council
rejected a suggestion that
it should make those appointments ahead of the board elections (PJ, 23
September, p376).
The President’s appeal for candidates has been echoed by the chairmen
of the Society’s current structures in Scotland and Wales.
Peter Jones, chairman of the Society’s Welsh Executive, said: “The
establishment of the national pharmacy board for Wales is the culmination
of years of hard work and will help ensure that the Society has the appropriate
structures and processes in place to fully maximise the opportunities
that devolution brings.
“It is important that we all make the most of this exciting new
opportunity. People often think that this sort of thing is not for them,
but but that
really couldn’t be further from the truth. The forthcoming election
provides a unique opportunity for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
to shape the future of their profession and I urge pharmacists and pharmacy
technicians across Wales to think about the contribution they can make
and to consider standing for election.”
The chairman of the Society’s Scottish Executive, Rose Marie Parr
said: “This is a momentous time for the Society and for pharmacy
in Scotland. The announcement of the start of the election process to
the boards — and from my perspective, of course, to the Scottish
board in particular — should be seen as the commencement of a new
era for the profession and for the Society.
“The elections are an opportunity for individuals with passion
and a commitment to driving forward pharmacy in Scotland to grasp the
thistle and truly
engage with the policy making process. I would encourage as many people
as possible that want to deliver change from the inside to come forward
and stand for election.”
Jonathan Buisson — the only person whose seat on a national board
is guaranteed (see above) — said: “Many people see devolution
as something for Scotland and Wales that does not affect England. Devolution
affects England too, because pharmacy is changing rapidly and is moving
in a different direction here.
“We want people who want to make change happen to stand for election.
The board will only be as good as the people on it. Please get involved.”
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