Hitting the ground running
If we had opened a book on who might be the new Secretary and Registrar (or rather Chief Executive and Registrar) of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society we would not have got close to picking the successful candidate since we were focusing on pharmacists. At one time, before Ann Lewis
announced her retirement, small bets were being placed on the names
of John D’Arcy (former head of the National Pharmacy Association)
and Rob Darracott (formerly with the Society and now heading the Company
Chemists’ Association). However, they both effectively absented
themselves from the race before the first heats and the field was open.
So it is refreshing to be able to announce that the new
CE and Registrar, Jeremy Holmes, has no known track record in pharmacy politics, but has
plenty of experience in strategic planning, the ways of Government and
the pharmaceutical industry (p33). And, without doubt, he has some challenging
months and years ahead.
Coming to grips with what is happening to the Society will be his first
task. He may well find browsing the documents prepared by Society staff
for the Carter working party instructive. A brief
summary of them can be found on p55 with directions on how to access the full documents on
the Society’s website.
We would also encourage him to read The Journal from the end of February to the present,
to gain a flavour of what lies ahead.
Secondly, he needs to inspire confidence in the Society’s Council
and staff that he can lead the organisation to a better future: he needs
to understand quickly the issues where there is consensus and those where
there are differences of opinion.
Thirdly, and by no means least, he must develop a constructive relationship
with the membership especially since there are likely to be some elements
who might wish (or expect) him to be a pharmacist. The hardest task that
he faces is assisting the Society’s Council and staff to find a
solution for reorganising the Society’s structures and functions
that will satisfy as many of the profession’s expectations as possible
without alienating too many external stakeholders.
And if there was any fleeting thought that, with the change of Prime
Minister, there would be a little time to play with, that idea was dashed
by the announcement made by Gordon Brown this week that a new Health
and Social Care Bill is to be one of the planks of his first year in
office. The Bill will set in legislative stone much of what was outlined
in the White Paper published in February.
As far as Mr Holmes is concerned, the expression “hitting the ground
running” seems most apt.
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