The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7461 p60
21 July 2007

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What do you hope for?

Profession under the spotlight

What do you hope for?

With widespread acknowledgement that the future of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society — and the sort of professional leadership role it will develop — is in the gift of the membership, it is timely that the Society announces this week that it has commissioned a research consultancy to find out what members want (p83).

This research, which in the first instance will involve in-depth interviews with pharmacists from a wide range of backgrounds, will be used to build up a picture not only of what pharmacists want from a professional body, but also of what they need — in terms of services and other support. The results will be used to underpin the Council’s development of the business case for a body that answers those wants and needs, as well as meeting the profession’s broader expectations. The wider membership will be consulted in due course.

Too often people may think that the average pharmacist shares the opinions of correspondents to The Journal. We, however, have a suspicion that some letter writers are rather more vigorous in their views, willing to take up an extreme position in order to make their case and prepared to express themselves intemperately in the belief that it will make their message heard more clearly. And long may they continue to communicate in such a way. Our letters pages would be a duller place without their contributions.

However, we can be sure that the independent research organisation — Opinion Leader — will gain a more accurate and balanced view of what makes most pharmacists tick and so help create a body that will be of maximum value to the profession.

Just one word of warning: pharmacists in many parts of Britain have been approached in recent weeks by callers seeking the names, job titles and other details of employees in hospital departments and community pharmacies, claiming to be from the “research department” of The Pharmaceutical Journal (which does not exist). You will know if and when you have been invited to take part in the Opinion Leader research — and it will not be by a telephone call out of the blue.

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Profession under the spotlight

Pharmacists concerned that products containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine may be switched to prescription-only medicines have a chance to prove that their houses are in order. In a joint statement, four pharmacy organisations maintain that inappropriate sales of these products could be controlled by reducing pack sizes and implementing measures to restrict sales (p63). And they issue a challenge to community pharmacists: “… pharmacy will be under scrutiny over the next few months so let’s not see any evidence of multiple sales of [such] products.”

Most pharmacists wish to be taken seriously as providers of clinical services and have the governance arrangements in place to ensure that patients are given medicines safely. Let us hope that the whole profession rises to the challenge.

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