Hemant Patel: to retire next week |
As President Hemant Patel prepares to retire after 15 years on the
Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Council, he seems genuinely emotional
at the prospect. However, he is confident that the groundwork has been
laid for a successful professional leadership body to emerge.
One thing is clear as he reflects on his time as President is that he
is a glass half-full type of man. “If you allow low points to get
to you, you not only become ineffective but you place burdens on others
around you,” he says. “One thing I am good at is dusting
myself off and standing up. My focus is very much on outcomes and futures.”
It is this focus on outcomes that has sometimes brought him into conflict
with Society staff and Council members, he admits. “The culture
at the Society is very much about process instead of outcomes. I am not
the kind of person who will allow things to drift and, from time to time,
I have had to push hard,” he says.
Mr Patel recognises that the world is changing at a fast pace and that
it is not going to slow down to accommodate the profession. “I
wanted the Society to be a huge change agent, so that we led the profession
by showing respect for individual pharmacists and persuading them to
change.”
An interest in widening the clinical role of pharmacists was one of the
reasons that first led Mr Patel to stand for Council in 1993. “I
had a deep concern for fellow pharmacists and wanted to help them. But
also I felt I had something to offer in terms of vision, commitment and
energy. And I was very interested in the clinical agenda,” he explains.
Another reason was his strong belief that it is the duty of pharmacists
in each generation to bequeath to the next generation the profession
in a better state than the one in which they found it.
After five years on the Council, Mr Patel was motivated to stand for
President because plans emerged from a fellow Council member’s
review (The Banks report, 1998) that did not fit with his own vision
of an organisation that serves its members, he explains.
In 2005, he stood for President again, with the aim of guiding the profession
towards a clinical world. “I also wanted to put brakes on the way that
resources were consumed to develop regulatory roles at the expense of professional
support,” he adds.
Bearing this in mind, Mr Patel is glad that the Government’s White Paper
on the regulation of health professionals, published in 2007, will lead to the
separation of the Society’s professional and regulatory roles. “Now
the Society has got a clear remit. In the past, we have tried to serve two masters — the
Government and the members — and the Government always won,” he says.
Trying to establish the professional leadership role has not been easy, Mr Patel
admits. “Innovation is hugely important. I would like to see the Society
develop a leadership and innovation culture that resonates well with the public
and members of the Society,” he explains.
For this to come to fruition, he says, the Society needs to think in a collaborative
way with the rest of the pharmacy team. The branches need to work in synergy
with local pharmaceutical committees, primary care organisations, hospitals,
schools of pharmacy and social services, he stresses.
“There is devolvement
of money at local level and we really need to support each member at a local
level to realise his or her full potential. The Society is capable of doing that
but it requires commitment from the Society and an adequate and timely response
from the members.”
One of the high points of Mr Patel’s presidency came from the recognition
given to the Society in the recent White Paper devoted to future pharmacy services
in England. “The letter from the minister thanking me for the support given
by the Society and myself was very much appreciated,” he smiles.
Another high point was what he refers to as a successful conclusion to the
challenges imposed by the regulatory White Paper of 2007 and the subsequent
Carter report. “There
is still a lot of work to be done in terms of the implementation of the Clarke
report … but I am confident that the groundwork that has been done will ensure
that we have a successful professional leadership body, free from government
influence and totally dedicated to serving its members,” he says.
Pharmacy is an enormous part of Mr Patel’s life and he has no plans to
let it go just yet. “I still want to be a pharmacist and a member of the
Society. It means a huge amount to me,” he says. He would like to have
some role in the future professional body, subject to membership support, he
reveals. But he adds quickly that this would not be as an officer: “Supporting
new leaders is important.”
Given the opportunity he would also like to work with the British Pharmaceutical
Students’ Association to support young pharmacists and with the National
Association of Women Pharmacists, which he hopes will develop into a large organisation
that is widely recognised.
“Women play a hugely important role within the
profession. If we can convince women pharmacists that joining a professional
body is worthwhile then I think the rest of the job would be easy,” he
argues.
In the short term, he has less ambitious plans — to learn to sleep, to
spend more time with his family and friends and to enjoy his last few days in
the President’s flat.
Mr Patel highlights five ingredients that he believes are key to a successful
President: ideas; networks; an understanding of government policy and of
what members want; and real passion and commitment.
His advice for the next President, who will be elected during the first week
of June, is this: “While bearing in mind the big changes that are taking
place in the world in terms of technology, politics and economics, concentrate
on meeting the professional needs of pharmacists. And be humble, take note of
members wishes and create an organisation that will serve the members with humility
and respect. The support [from members] will flow from that.”
Mr Patel is confident that the future of the profession is bright but believes
that an overt demonstration of commitment, enthusiasm and imagination is
needed. “I
believe that we are entering a golden phase where our skills, knowledge and
position within communities will be appreciated,” he says.
The big challenge
is for all pharmacy organisations to work together and focus on helping
pharmacists to deliver a wider range of services at a higher standard
than today, he
adds.
Mr Patel’s swansong will be at the Society’s annual general
meeting next week, where he plans to present a new award to a pharmacist
who he considers
has made a significant contribution to serving fellow pharmacists. He intends
the award, donated by himself, to be presented by the Society’s President
on an annual basis thereafter.
The Hemant Patel award? He laughs at the
suggestion — perhaps
that would not fit with the humble approach that he advocates. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal