Regulations for national pharmacy boards
Notice is hereby given in accordance with Article 10 of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's Supplemental Charter 2004 that under powers given to the Society in Articles 7(1), 9(3) and 9(4) of the Charter the Council of the Society has approved proposals to make regulations concerning national pharmacy boards as hereunder.
National pharmacy boards
1. (1) There shall be three national pharmacy boards whose full names
shall be the English Pharmacy Board of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society
of Great Britain,
the Scottish Pharmacy Board of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain,
and the Welsh Pharmacy Board of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain,
in these regulations referred to respectively as “the English Pharmacy
Board”, “ the Scottish Pharmacy Board” and the “Welsh
Pharmacy Board”, and referred to collectively as “the Boards”.
(2) The Welsh Pharmacy Board shall also be known as Bwrdd Fferylliaeth Gymreig
Cymdeithas Fferyllol Frenhinol Prydain Fawr, which name shall be interchangeable
with the English name of the board and equally valid in all respects.
Composition of the Boards
2. (1) The English Pharmacy Board shall consist of
(a) 12 pharmacists registered in Part 1 of the Society’s Register of
Pharmacists (“practising registered pharmacists”) elected in accordance
with a scheme made by the Council (“elected members”),
(b) one pharmacist member of the Council and one lay member of the Council
appointed by it, and
(c) the member of the Council for the time being elected to the Council in
the constituency of England, Isle of Man and Channel Islands.
(2) The Scottish Pharmacy Board shall consist of
(a) 12 practising registered pharmacists elected in accordance with a scheme
made by the Council (“elected members”), and
(b) up to three persons co-opted by the Scottish Pharmacy Board.
(3) The Welsh Pharmacy Board shall consist of
(a) 11 practising registered pharmacists and one pharmacy technician registered
in Part 1 of the Society’s Register of Pharmacy Technicians (a “practising
registered pharmacy technician”) elected in accordance with a scheme
made by the Council (“elected members”), and
(b) up to three persons co-opted by the Welsh Pharmacy Board.
(4) An elected member shall automatically cease to be such on ceasing to be
a practising registered pharmacist or, as the case may be, a practising registered
pharmacy technician.
(5) Election schemes made by the Council under these regulations shall provide
(a) that a pharmacist shall not be eligible to vote unless his address entered
in the Society’s Register of Pharmacists is in the country in respect
of which his vote is to be cast,
(b) that the election shall be conducted on a simple majority system.
(6) In the election of a pharmacy technician to the Welsh Pharmacy Board, a
pharmacy technician shall not be eligible to vote unless his address entered
in the Society’s Register of Pharmacy Technicians is in Wales. Casual vacancies
3. (1) A casual vacancy amongst the elected members may be filled by
the relevant board.
(2) A person filling a casual vacancy shall serve only for the remaining
period of office of the person whose departure gave rise to the vacancy
and a person
filling a vacancy on the Welsh Pharmacy Board shall serve only until places
are next filled on that board by election.
(3) Where the period to be served under paragraph (2) is less than a year
the vacancy need not be filled. Chairmen and vice-chairmen of boards
4. Each board shall elect from among its members who are practising
registered pharmacists a chairman and a vice-chairman, who shall each
serve for one
year and shall be eligible for re-election. Length of service
5. (1) An elected member of a board shall serve for a term of three
years. A person may be co-opted under regulation 2(2)(b) or 2(3)(b) for a term
of up to three years. A member may resign at any time by writing to
the secretary to the board in question.
(2) In the case of the English Pharmacy Board a member may serve a maximum
of four consecutive terms, following which he may not serve again until three
years have elapsed. In the cases of the Scottish Pharmacy Board and the Welsh
Pharmacy Board, a member may serve a maximum of three consecutive terms,
following which he may not serve again until three years have elapsed.
(3) Time served in filling a casual vacancy shall constitute a term for the
purpose of calculating the number of consecutive terms of service under
this regulation. Powers and functions of the boards
6. (1) Subject
(a) to the Charter of the Society,
(b) to any directions of the Council, and
(c) in the case of the Scottish Pharmacy Board and the Welsh Pharmacy
Board, to the constraints of the scope from time to time of devolved
responsibilities
for health and related matters of legislatures in the countries concerned,
the boards shall have power and capacity to advise government and its agencies,
health service bodies and other organisations in the country concerned in
respect of professional matters, to promote the science and practice
of pharmacy and
its contribution to health, and to support pharmacists in their professional
roles.
(2) The boards shall have such other powers and functions, including delegated
powers and functions of the Council, as may be specified by the Council.
The boards shall be accountable in accordance with such protocols or other
forms
of instruction as may be issued by the Council.
(3) The Council shall not delegate any statutory function to a board, and
may revoke all or any powers or functions delegated to a board.
(4) The boards shall be serviced by the Society and shall have no power to
incur expenditure, employ staff or enter into contracts. Proceedings of the boards
7. (1) The quorum for meetings of the English Pharmacy Board shall
be 7.
(2) The quorum for meetings of the Scottish Pharmacy Board and the
Welsh Pharmacy Board shall be 6.
(3) The boards shall each meet at least three times a year, and meetings
may be attended by persons other than board members.
(4) The boards shall keep minutes of their proceedings. Subject to the Charter
and these regulations and to any directions given by, or standing orders
made, or protocols approved, by the Council, each board shall determine its
own procedure. Conduct and indemnity of members of boards
8. (1) Members of the boards shall comply with the Code of Conduct
applicable to members of the Council and shall be treated, as nearly
as possible, as
members of the Council for the purposes of liability to sanctions under
the code.
(2) A member of a board acting in good faith in the course of his or her
duties in respect of the board shall be indemnified by the Society in the
same manner
and to the same extent as a member of the Council. Fees and expenses
9. Members of the boards shall be entitled to be reimbursed their reasonable
expenditure on travel, accommodation and subsistence incurred in connection
with the meetings or business of the boards and may be paid fees for attending
meetings of the boards (or of groups of members of the boards) at rates approved
by the Council. Ann Lewis
Secretary and Registrar
Note (1):
These proposals are intended to take effect
after the expiry of 60 days from the date of this notice, subject to
such amendments as
the Lords of the Privy Council may require. These Regulations will supersede
the existing Byelaws concerning the Scottish Department (Section XXIII)
and the Welsh Executive (Section XXIV), which will be revoked.
Note (2):
Previously the Society’s Byelaws have been made under
powers
provided either by the Charter or by legislation. Under the Society’s new
governinign documents, the terminology is different. The Council makes Regulations
under the new Charter and will make Rules under the forthcoming Pharmacists and
Pharmacy Technicians Order 2006. In due time all the existing Byelaws will be
superseded by Regulations or Rules.
Note (3):
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