An Independent Inquiry Into A Professional Body For Pharmacy

Main Category: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 04 Apr 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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The Report of the Independent Inquiry into a Professional Body for Pharmacy, chaired by Nigel Clarke and commissioned by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain in September 2007, was published this morning.

The Inquiry undertook a wide-ranging consultation exercise with the pharmacy profession between November 2007 and February 2008. There were seven formal evidence sessions and seven public meetings held throughout Great Britain. 32 organisations gave evidence at the formal sessions, 65 pharmacy bodies and 170 individuals submitted written evidence.

Nigel Clarke said: 'The pharmacy profession has responded with great enthusiasm to this consultation exercise, and I am grateful to all those who took the time and trouble to take part. The debate has been informed by well thought through evidence from many bodies and individuals, who care passionately about their profession, and the patients and public it serves.

As many people said to us, this represents a time of great opportunity for pharmacists. It is a moment when the RPSGB can take the experience it has built over its distinguished 167 years and use it to fashion a reinvigorated Professional Body, which can support its members and the public in a more dynamic way than has been possible in recent times. The new Professional Body should welcome within its ranks all pharmacists, and those who play a part in educating and supporting pharmacists.

It must be a strongly member-focused body, but one capable of representing pharmacy to others - not least the devolved administrations of Great Britain, and the public they serve.

All this is occurring at a time when the role of pharmacy within healthcare systems in the UK is changing quickly. Patients and the public, and indeed other healthcare professionals, have great need of the expertise that pharmacists supply. Safe and effective use of medicines is an essential part of good care. A Professional Body able to support its members, and working to drive up standards, will be at the heart of those developments.'

The main conclusions of the Inquiry were:

- An effective Professional Body for pharmacy is essential in the interests of both the profession and the public. In the past the successful regulatory function has inhibited the development of a professional body for pharmacy. The new regulatory arrangements provide the opportunity to strengthen this essential professional support.

- The new Professional Body must provide clear leadership to the profession; provide services to its members that support their work, especially in relation to Continuing Professional Development and Revalidation; allow all to develop the highest standards of practice, such as around specialisms; and also represent the profession to patients, the public, healthcare professionals and the devolved administrations. In all cases, it must be a trusted source of information and advice.

- The new Professional Body should embrace not only pharmacists, but the whole of the 'pharmacy family'. Registered pharmacists should be the core of the new Professional Body. Other membership categories should be created to cover non-practising and retired pharmacists, academics, pharmaceutical scientists, registered pharmacy technicians, pre-registration trainees and students.

- A new structure for a Professional Body should be established, built upon the existing RPSGB. Its Council would have representation from enhanced National Boards for England, Scotland and Wales, as well as sectoral representation from pharmacists in community, hospital/PCT/Health Board, science and academia, and specific representation from technicians and special interest groups within the profession.

- The Professional Body should not perform trade union functions, nor represent individual pharmacists in proceedings against them.

- The RPSGB should set up a Transitional Committee, based around those who have expressed an interest in being part of the new

Regulatory Body, and working with all those with an interest, to make arrangements to ensure that the Body is operational at the same time as the General Pharmacy Council in January 2010.

Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain