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Letters to the Editor
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Lobbying
Making pharmacy’s voice heard
From Mrs S. J. Gidley, MRPharmS
I was interested to read the News feature entitled “How
to make pharmacy’s voice heard” (PJ, 22 September, p321) and there
was certainly a wealth of advice from a variety of people in it. However,
I cannot help thinking that many people will have been enthused by the
article but, having read it, will not really know where to begin.
As a pharmacist who has more recently been an member of Parliament and
has been on the receiving end of a wide range of lobbying, I thought
that there were a couple of key points that could have been made more
strongly.
The first is that MPs are constantly being approached by people who are
clearly motivated by professional self interest. This does not mean that
an MP will not take up their concerns but if a person can demonstrate
a wider public benefit (such as to patients or a cost saving to the local
primary care trust) then the MP will be much more motivated to act.
The second point is that MPs find it helpful to have one or two clear
action points that they can pursue as a result of a meeting. Nothing
is more frustrating than asking someone what they would like you to do
and receiving a shrug of the shoulders and the statement, “I just
thought you ought to know about this.” So, be clear about what
you want and, if possible, provide some concise briefing material.
It is also good to note that pharmacy has had a presence at the political
party conferences this year. Last year I bemoaned the absence of pharmacy
at the Liberal Democrat conference and the wasted opportunity. This year
I am aware that representatives from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
were out and about, meeting people and spreading the word.
This is a welcome step and I hope that the representatives who attended
found the meetings useful and are tempted to think about an even greater
presence next year. People are beginning to wake up to the potential
of pharmacy but continued effort is needed to keep pharmacy at the forefront
of the debate. A good start — and I hope that this is the first
initiative of many.
Sandra Gidley
Member of Parliament
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal