The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7475 p466
27 October 2007

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• Fees consultation (2)
• Community pharmacy
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Letters to the Editor

Fees consultation

The Council is listening to members

From Mr H. R. Patel, FRPharmS

The Council of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain meets next week on 1 November to discuss the feedback from the retention fees consultation process and the updated financial position, and to decide the fee increase for 2008.

I would like to thank the members, groups and organisations that have taken part in the consultation. It has been an excellent learning process for the Society and demonstrates that we are serious about our desire to open up greater dialogue with our members. The consultation period ended on 3 October and the Council was given an initial analysis at its meeting this month.

The early feedback revealed the very considered responses to the consultation document covering the principles behind the proposed fee increase, the potential impact on groups of members and the staging of payments. The responses to the online petition have also been taken on board in the independent analysis (PJ, 18 August, p169), although they did not provide the depth of information contained in the responses to the consultation.

The Council will have the opportunity to discuss the full report and make a final decision on 1 November 2007.

In addition, the Treasurer, Andrew Gush, has continued to review the planning assumptions and expenditure forecast for 2008 with the aim of driving down costs and improving efficiency.

Once again I would like to thank members for their feedback. The responses have not all made comfortable reading, but I want to assure them that we have listened.

Hemant Patel
President
Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Will letters to The Journal be considered in the fees consultation?

From Mrs J. L. Townend, MRPharmS

Jeremy Holmes has told the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Council that all responses to the consultation on retention fees will be analysed by an independent consultant, and that this analysis will be assessed by Society staff and Council members (PJ, 6 October, p387).

I hope this assessment will include rereading the numerous letters to The Pharmaceutical Journal on this subject over recent months.

The Pharmacists’ Defence Association’s response to the fees consultation shows that it is in touch with the real world and the views of fee-paying members. In speaking up for those members who are not working full-time the PDA is reflecting the opinions of the many correspondents on the letters pages who represent the retired, semi-retired, part-time and overseas members who are seriously considering resigning from the Register.

Has it occurred to anyone that the Society may lose more income as a result of these resignations than it might lose by retaining these members at a lower fee?

It has been pointed out by several correspondents that the pool of part-time locum pharmacists, of which I am one, is likely to be depleted, and the Society should not view lightly the loss from the non-practising Register of eminent members of our profession.

Lesley Townend
Penzance, Cornwall

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