The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 267 No 7158 p134
28 July 2001

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The Society’s head of public relations, Jean-Pierre Moser, describes the work of the Society’s Public Affairs Directorate in promoting the role of pharmacists to a wide range of different people, from Members of Parliament to local newspapers reporters

Key issues

Media links

Health campaigns

How the Society promotes the role of the pharmacist to the wider world

Promoting the role of pharmacists is one of the responsibilities of the Society’s Public Affairs Directorate, which was established in 1998 to bring together a range of external relations operations — public affairs, reputation management, media and public relations (in England and Wales), the promotion of pharmaceutical science, conferences, membership and information services.

The directorate established a new focus for the Society on developing relations with government, the National Health Service and other key external stakeholders. A planning group, which includes members of the Council and staff from other directorates, helps shape the programme.

Over the past two years, a communications and awareness programme has brought the Society’s policies and views before government ministers, officials and advisers, parliamentarians, select committees in both Houses of Parliament, all-party groups and backbench committees.

Key issues

Key issues handled by the Public Affairs Directorate include the NHS modernisation agenda and the pharmacy programme; the impact of legislation, including the Health and Social Care Bill; e-pharmacy; the regulation of herbal medicines; and public health, particularly smoking and emergency hormonal contraception (EHC). The Society has been active in briefing front bench health spokespeople of all parties on a range of matters relating to health policy and pharmacy’s contribution to it.

Regular briefing papers on matters of concern to pharmacists have been produced for parliamentarians and a busy contact programme established. This year, a pharmacy “manifesto” was distributed to Westminster hopefuls running in the general election.

Where appropriate, the Society links its public affairs programme to the work of the other pharmacy bodies. In partnership with the National Pharmaceutical Association, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee and the Company Chemists’ Association, the Society has helped support the establishment of an all-party parliamentary group for pharmacy. This group has done much to establish a higher profile for pharmacists and their contribution among MPs and peers of all parties.

Following a highly successful and active programme in the previous Parliament, the All Party Pharmacy Group has recently reconvened under the continuing chairmanship of Dr Howard Stoate, MP. The group has elicited useful contributions and responses from government ministers on a range of issues, including medicines management, EHC, partnership in medicines taking (concordance) and pharmacist prescribing.

The pharmacy organisations also join forces to take the pharmacy message to other political events, including party political conferences. Last year, an exhibition stand at the Labour Party conference was visited by all the front bench health team and received a “best in show” award from Tony Blair.

Other targets for the Society’s external relations programme include various non-governmental health organisations, other health professions, think-tanks and policy foundations.

These links are a key building blocks in the task of increasing understanding between the profession and its publics, the major function of public relations, along with managing the profession’s and the Society’s reputation. These days, the public is greatly influenced by what they read, see and hear in the media as well as by their own direct experiences. It is the role of the public relations unit proactively to build positive news opportunities and manage the impact of negative stories in all the news media.

Media links

To this end, the Society’s public relations team has built strong links with national health media to help them understand the work of the profession and the role of the Society. By developing such relationships, the Society now has the reputation of being an organisation that is able to add a credible and informative voice to the wider health agenda, particularly around medicines and pharmaceutical science issues. This also has the effect of fostering more opportunities to contribute a view where coverage of the profession or the Society is adverse.

Local news media are highly influential, and the Society supports the work of its branch and regional public relations officers in targeting local newspapers, radio and television.

All local PR officers receive monthly reports of Society news activity and advance notice of campaigns and issues that may be of interest to local media. Training is also provided at the Society for those wishing to hone their media skills. The one-day sessions examine the workings of the media and give practical advice on interview techniques.

The PR unit is also responsible for producing promotional publications. These include the Society’s annual review as well as publications that promote pharmacists’ work and others that provide useful advice to the public.

Health campaigns

Campaigning on health issues is another important area of work undertaken by the PR unit. Campaigns are often developed in association with other organisations to give an added dimension to the message.

In January, the health minister launched a campaign to support older people in the use of medicines. Supported by the Doctor Patient Partnership, Age Concern and the NPA, the campaign highlighted the need for older people to be aware about all the medicines — both prescription and over-the-counter — that they may be taking and explained how, by talking to their pharmacist, they could get good advice. The campaign led to an early day motion in Parliament, signed by over 70 MPs, calling on the government to support projects raising awareness of the issues around medicine taking.

With Labour’s second term in power, plans for NHS reform are moving at an accelerated pace. The proposed new roles for pharmacists will bring the profession closer to the core of health care provision and offer increased opportunities to highlight the strengths of pharmacy services. The Society’s public affairs teams are working to promote and promulgate these opportunities.

However, with a higher profile come increased expectations, and the media will be as quick to jump on poor practice as it will to promote good. The best opportunity to promote the value of pharmacy services lies with members who interact with the public on a daily basis.