Society given one year to win pharmacists over
The future of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society remains uncertain following the publication
of the report from the working party led by Lord Carter of Coles this week, although it suggests the Society has a year to determine what will happen to it. The working party was commissioned
by the Department of Health to look into professional regulation and leadership in pharmacy following publication of the White Paper “Trust Assurance and Safety” (PJ, 24 February, p207).
In his foreword, Lord Coles points out that the transformation of the
pharmacy profession from a “product-focused service” to a
truly clinical profession directly caring for patients and the public,
is to be welcomed and underpins the thinking behind the report.
The report endorses the establishment of a General Pharmaceutical Council
(GPhC) and a royal college for pharmacy, which was supported by pharmacists
attending a seminar
organised in March by the King’s Fund (PJ,
14 April p417). But it adds the caveat: “This will need fresh thinking,
not least to ensure a royal college is one that pharmacy professionals
would wish to join.” Lord Coles is sure that the Society and the
Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland will form an important component
of a new royal college.
The report acknowledges that there are some issues over of the sustainability
of a royal college for pharmacy. “One is whether the RPSGB would
be a central plank in the formation of a royal college, and the working
party would very much hope that it would.” However it continues: “If
the RPSGB is unable to capture the confidence of the main body of enthusiasts
for a royal college over the next year, then its abilities to exploit
the opportunities for making a real contribution to professional leadership
and development will be limited.”
It also states that technicians could have the opportunity to be associate
members of the college and in one recommendation it states that the college
will have a key role in their revalidation (see Panel below).
Summary of the recommendations of the Carter
working party
A General Pharmaceutical Council should be created in shadow form,
with the appointment of the chairman and board by 1 June 2009 in
order to be fully functional by January 2010. The development of
a royal college should occur in parallel. Human resources guidance
should be developed as soon as possible on maintaining the skills
base in pharmacy regulation during the run-up and transfer of functions
from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society to the GPhC.
A Pharmacy Regulation and Leadership Oversight Group should be
created by the DoH, working closely with the devolved administrations
and the pharmacy profession. Its primary purpose would be to ensure
a cost effective approach, together with rigorous and robust performance
management in the maintenance of the pharmacy regulation functions
and the creation of the GPhC, as well as to ensure that a royal
college is fit for purpose to complement the GPhC.
Functions of a Royal College for Pharmacy:
• a role in the development of professional standards
• a contribution to the development of competencies and standards
for undergraduate education as a key stakeholder of the GPhC (the
body with statutory responsibility for education and training)
• a role in the development of pharmacy curricula and teachers
• a pre-eminent role in supporting the provision and assessment of
pre-registration training nationally
• a key role in the revalidation of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
Constituents of a Royal College for Pharmacy:
• an Academy of Pharmacy Practice to champion advanced specialist
practice
• an Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences to provide a forum for pharmaceutical
scientists, particularly those in academia and industry
The royal college should have a structure that serves roles in the
UK and devolved administrations |
The documents
published by the DoH include the executive summary of the financial and
economic evaluation that looked at three different models
for the future. The report prefers a GPhC working closely with a royal
college which would evolve from the Society and external expertise, rather
than a looser arrangement between the two bodies or where the GPhC and
the royal college would be established independently of the Society — both
of which would be more costly.
In a statement from the Society, its President Hemant Patel said: “Lord
Carter has acknowledged the complexity of establishing both a new regulator
and an effective professional leadership body for pharmacy. Under his
leadership, the working party has completed its task in a very short
timeframe.”
Mr Patel said that the Society has maintained that a number of factors
are necessary to underpin the formation of the GPhC and proposed royal
college. These include that the new arrangements improve current structures,
leading to improved public and patient safety and stronger professional
leadership for pharmacists. And that the transition needs to be properly
managed and resourced and new structures need long-term financial sustainability.
“We wait with interest for Lord Hunt’s response to Lord Carter’s
recommendations. It is important that the changes are supported by members
of the profession, whether specialists or generalists, and the constructive
stakeholder discussions that have already begun must continue.”
Some indication of the thinking of Lord Hunt (the minister with responsibility
for implementing these recommendations) can be seen in Letters (p583)
where he asserts that the royal college should be a new body. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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