National boards: your country needs YOU!
The President of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Hemant Patel, announces the launch of the first elections for the Society's national
pharmacy boards for England, Scotland and Wales and calls for nominations for service as members of the new boards
The President: “your chance to make a difference to your profession” |
Have you ever felt that you have something more to contribute to your
profession? Would you like more of a role in the leadership of pharmacy
practice development in your country? If so, this week marks the start
of a new era.
After all the planning, consultation and fine-tuning, I am truly delighted
to announce the first elections to the Welsh, Scottish and English pharmacy
boards of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (Official
Notices, p432).
One way and another it has taken a huge, concerted effort to get to this
point — an effort that demonstrates the Society’s commitment
to meeting the needs of devolution.
All the elected places for each pharmacy board are vacant in this first
election, so this really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to shape
your profession. I would like to encourage as many of you as possible
to put your names forward.
Fine, you may be thinking, but how will I know if this is the right step
for me? I hope that this article will give you a few pointers on that
front.
Background
First of all, I would like to summarise the background to all this.
Political devolution was introduced in
the UK in 1999. Certain powers, including those concerned with health
care, have been transferred away from Westminster to the Scottish Parliament
and Welsh Assembly, leading to unique and different relationships between
the devolved administrations and Westminster. Policy divergence is occurring
now, and is expected to increase, particularly if or when different political
parties control the various administrations. There are now three health
departments for England, Wales and Scotland and each has its own strategy
for pharmacy.
In the summer of 2004, the Society began a broad review of its functions,
structures and ways of working to ensure that we could meet the needs
of devolution. The main recommendation made by Lord Fraser and his Devolution
Review Group was to establish national boards in England, Scotland and
Wales. After consultation with the membership and other stakeholders,
the Society’s Council accepted this recommendation in August 2005. Remit
The remit of the devolved boards is set out in the Panel below.
Remit of the national pharmacy boards
1. Provide strategic leadership and support for pharmacy practice
development in each country
2. Assist development of Council policy and its implementation
in each of the countries and develop and implement policy specific
to each
3. Promote the science and practice of pharmacy and its contribution
to health
4. Provide advice to government and its agencies, NHS bodies, and
other health and social care organisations in each country
5. Support the Society’s branches
6. Support pharmacists in their professional roles |
For
many years, we have had executives in Scotland and Wales to support the
work of the Society in these countries. The Scottish and Welsh pharmacy
boards will have wider remits and powers than the executives and are
not simply a new name for the executives.
The English Pharmacy Board is new. In the past, the Practice Committee
has dealt with issues affecting England alone. The English Pharmacy Board
will give a new focus for the Society’s professional leadership
and development role in England and will bring a uniquely English perspective
to the Society’s work.
Although the Council remains the governing body of the Society accountable
for the discharge of all the Society’s functions, it should not
interfere with the working of the boards unless it has good reason to
do so. Natural leaders
So what sort of person do we need to serve on the boards? Given the
remit of the boards, I think we are looking for practitioners with a
sound
professional reputation — natural leaders for what is a leadership
role. A thorough understanding of pharmacy policy and the wider health
environment within your country would be an advantage.
Beyond that, each board member will bring his or her own knowledge
and skills, and it would be the best possible start for these new structures
if the different backgrounds and experience of board members were to
provide a range of perspectives and a rounded picture in the board’s
debates. Communication with and about the profession will, of course,
be a key activity for all board members.
It is not yet possible to give an accurate idea of how the boards will
choose to carry out their work or of the time commitment involved. However,
it is probably safe to assume that you will have at least six days a
year timetabled for board meetings and review days, together with preparation
in your own time, and that this will increase over time as boards’ work
takes off. Attendance fees and expenses will be provided, in line with
Society procedures. New ground
The Society is breaking new ground with the creation of the national
pharmacy boards, and so it is hard at this stage to say exactly how
things will evolve. Furthermore, the three boards will not be constituted
in exactly the same manner, nor will they have identical ways of working — that
is devolution.
What I can say is that I expect the job of a board member to be a demanding
and responsible one, but also one that is enjoyable and fulfilling. I
hope very much that we get a wide range of candidates with a variety
of skills, knowledge and background but, most importantly, with integrity,
commitment and a real passion for their profession, so that the boards
can hit the ground running.
The Official Notices explain how you can obtain nomination forms and
candidate packs. These should answer many of your questions about who
will be eligible, how to stand, and what board membership will involve.
Over the coming weeks you will see more articles from my colleagues in
the three countries, setting out their plans and hopes for the future.
For now, I would like to repeat my call for nominations. This is your
chance to make history within your country and to make a difference to
your profession. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal