| • White Paper
• Patient records
• Electronic prescribing
• Pharmacy contract
• Community pharmacy
• Medicines use reviews
• Minor ailment scheme
• Medication errors
• English Pharmacy Board
• Council election
• Education
• Public relations
• New professional body
• The Society (2)
• Euthanasia (2)
Letters to the Editor
|
The Society
Council needs professionals with vision
From Mrs N. Kerr, MRPharmS
I attended the open day of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society on 20 April
and was particularly interested to hear Jeremy Holmes refer to the Society
as “your Society — your organisation”. We have a unique
opportunity to make the new professional body just that.
An organisation
that is so integral to our professional life, so essential to the status
and progression of our profession that to be without it would be unthinkable.
But for this to be the case there needs to be a lot more action than
words.
It needs to have at its heart committed, visionary professionals who
are not afraid to stand up and be counted. I have been in pharmacy now
for 37 years, starting as a Saturday girl in a local independent pharmacy,
through preregistration and promoted posts in hospital to my current
senior position in community pharmacy.
My commitment and passion for
the profession is obvious to those who have met me and it is this that
gives me the confidence to stand for Council election.
We need a new professional body that is more inclusive and member facing,
supporting us with contining professional development and setting standards
for practice and specialist roles. Both my previous role, as head of
a superintendent pharmacist’s office, and my current role have
given me experience that would support this.
The new body must have an authoritative and influential voice, able to
persuade the Government, Department of Health, other healthcare professionals
and, sometimes, ourselves that we are capable of so much more.
However,
it takes time to build credibility, respect and loyalty so that we can
be confident that our Society is acting in our best interests. I spend
much of my time speaking at public and business meetings selling the
skills and expertise of pharmacists and pharmacy teams and am confident
I can contribute to development of the new body in this area.
There needs to be a clear, well thought out vision and strategy both
for the new professional body and pharmacy in its entirety. One of my
key responsibilities has been to shape the healthcare strategy for my
business and to take this from a visionary document to a five-year business
plan. These skills will be critical in moving the Society forward into
the new era.
I truly believe my experience and expertise will give “our organisation” the
advantage it needs to meet the new challenges with confidence. Nanette Kerr
East Grinstead, West Sussex
Council Election Candidate
Getting better
From Mr D. P. Sharma, MRPharmS
As one of the (slightly) younger generation of pharmacists coming through,
I would like to thank those pharmacists who have worked tirelessly for
the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Those individuals who joined the Council
must have done so for the love of pharmacy and honour of working for
the profession. Individuals such as myself have gained the benefits of
this.
From reading some retired Council members’ letters (PJ,
April 5 2008,
p401, April
12 2008, p439), anyone who has joined the Register
in the past
10 years has witnessed a degeneration. I can see there used to be more
trust and I enjoyed reading about “the nod” as a way to get
things through a meeting.
But have things really degenerated that much?
There is a danger that younger pharmacists who read the PJ fall
into the trap of thinking that it must have been better before. Maybe
it was,
but times are changing and the Society must change.
Having non-pharmacists in the Society must, overall, be a good thing,
as they bring their own skill set and a broader outlook. This, combined
with individuals who have expertise in specific pharmacy matters can
only be of benefit.
Is the PJ really a shadow of its former self? I enjoy reading it every
week and think that the quality of articles and news features is good.
There are lessons to be learnt and something the “old school” generation
can do is remind individuals (via the letters pages, for example) about
the importance of understanding our history and past achievements.
For example, I did not know Herbert
Grainger, a former past president.
Surely such an important figure must have contributed a huge amount to
pharmacy. A fuller obituary (PJ, 15 March 2008, p321) could
have given other pharmacists an instant assessment of his life.
Maybe a lesson has been learnt here, but I remain optimistic about the
future for the Society and pharmacists who work in every sector.
Dave Sharma
Cambridge |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal