The voter turnout in England for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society's English Pharmacy Board election dropped to 7.9 per cent this year.
Out of a total of 19,512 eligible individuals, only 1,534 decided to vote.
The RPS English Board received ten nominations for five vacancies this year; therefore an election was conducted. One nomination was received for the three
vacancies on the Welsh Pharmacy Board. Three nominations were received for the three vacancies on the Scottish Pharmacy Board. Therefore, no election was
conducted in pharmacy boards in Wales or Scotland.
RPS president Claire Anderson said: "It's disappointing that the voter turnout in England has dropped to 7.9 from 11.8 per cent in 2021. We have now appointed
an independent review of how RPS members, elected members and stakeholders can feel more engaged and empowered to influence RPS decisions, and eagerly await
its recommendations."
The Society appointed communications agency Luther Pendragon to lead a review into how it can develop and strengthen member participation.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has appointed Laura Wilson as Director for Scotland commencing 23rd January 2023.
Laura, is currently Policy and Practice Lead for RPS in Scotland. She is accountable for bringing national RPS policy to life for members in Scotland, while
contributing to the GB wide professional leadership agenda.
She will work closely with the Scottish Pharmacy Board, senior NHS officials and other key stakeholders across the breadth of the pharmacy profession and beyond
to ensure pharmacy is on the forefront of healthcare in Scotland.
She joins the existing team of RPS Country Directors, which includes Elen Jones, Director for Wales and James Davies, Director for England and will report directly
to the Chief Executive.
Laura Wilson said: "I am delighted to be appointed Director for Scotland having worked as part of the RPS Scotland team as the policy and practice lead. It will
be an honour to continue the fantastic work started by former Director Clare Morrison to bring Pharmacy 2030, our vision for pharmacy in Scotland in the future,
to life and supporting pharmacy teams to deliver person centred care.
The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMp) has appointed David Vanns as its non-executive Chairman following the retirement of its long serving
Chair Peter Cattee. Vanns will take up the role from April 2023.
Cattee, one of the co-founders of AIMp took up the role as its Chairman in 2000. He is also a non-CCA representative on the PSNC. Despite retiring as chairman Cattee
will remain on the AIMp board.
Commenting on his retirement Cattee said: "It's been my great good fortune to work with almost all of the owners of pharmacy groups throughout England, Scotland and
Wales over the years and many other talented people throughout the sector. It's been during a period of increasing consolidation, something which our own business
has reflected, and the original founders and Board members Yakub Patel, Kirit Patel, Steve Williams and David Vanns have all been instrumental in shaping pharmacy
negotiations to better reflect the views of our natural constituency - pharmacy group owners.
A spokesperson for AIMp said: "We thank Peter for his services and dedication to AIMp throughout the years. Our organisation has grown to be a diverse and dynamic
organisation representing and supporting pharmacy groups of all sizes, small and large. Our main identity and what unites us in AIMp, irrespective of the size of
the pharmacy group, is being Independents, and we are very proud of our identity. We look forward to continuing our work in representing and supporting our members
in the best way possible."
Christie & Co, a specialist business property adviser, recently finalised the sale of two pharmacies-one located in Wales and the other in Hampshire.
Sylvia Williams Chemist, a well-performing community pharmacy located on the main high street of the Vale of Glamorgan market town of Cowbridge, has been sold
after an impressive 50 years of ownership.
Dispensing an average of 12,500 items monthly, the business has been owned by Kate Thomas and her family for nearly 50 years. It was put on the market to enable
her retirement and allow her to focus on other interests, the broker said.
The pharmacy has been purchased by Zaid Salih, making it his second pharmacy acquisition.
Jonathan Board, Director - Medical at Christie & Co, who handled the sale, said that Sylvia Williams Chemist attracted a wide range of buyers.
The One Show on BBC One has put community pharmacy in the limelight, showcasing the sector's vital work during the pandemic to a primetime TV audience.
The five minute segment, aired on May 10, featured Sutton pharmacist Reena Barai and a reception at St. James's Palace for around 200 pharmacists, including Barai,
hosted by the Prince of Wales on May 4.
"It was great to be part of such a positive story," Barai, who is a board member of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), said.
"It's heartening that the national media are taking notice of the sector, because it's too often overlooked. Coverage like this both reflects public opinion and shapes it, that's why the NPA works so hard on keeping us in the public eye."
The segment told the story of community pharmacy's role during the pandemic and contained footage of a speech by the Prince of Wales, praising the sector for its
contribution to the nation's healthcare.
"Pharmacists are about people and places, not just pills, a place where science, as it were, meets society. I just want to thank you all, more than I can possibly say, for everything you do so brilliantly to keep people well, and above all, save lives. Thank you, everybody," Prince Charles is seen saying at the reception.
Professor Mahendra Patel OBE, CEO of the Oxford University Centre for Research Equity (CfRE), has been appointed as an independent expert member of the UK
Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board.
The newly established Board comprises nine independent expert members (IEMs) with outstanding leadership capabilities, who were appointed through open recruitment,
ensuring a "broad, balanced, and diverse" representation.
Sir Hugh Taylor KCB, the Independent Chair of the Board, and the UK Chief Pharmaceutical Officers (CPhOs) - Andrew Evans (Wales), Cathy Harrison (Northern Ireland),
Alison Strath (Scotland), and David Webb (England) - announced the appointment of IEMs in an open letter to the UK pharmacy professions.
"Bringing a wealth of experience and expertise, they will play a pivotal role in the Board's work to deliver an exciting vision through supporting a new and dynamic
phase of collaboration," the CPhOs said.
As the CEO of CfRE, Professor Patel spearheads efforts aimed at addressing inequalities in healthcare.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has joined the Welsh Royal Colleges Child Health Collaborative (WRCCHC) - a newly established group comprising 20
royal colleges and professional bodies that aims to improve health outcomes for children in Wales.
Together they have written to the First Minister of Wales asking how his government will improve child health and support the workforce that care for them.
Citing recent reports published by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and the Academy of Medical Sciences that highlighted declining health among children, they
have warned of the impact of poor child health.
The WRCCHC aims to ensure a sharper focus and understanding on the current and necessary support required for babies, children and young people and the workforce
they represent.
RPS Wales will be represented in the group by Anthony Lewis, Children and Women Lead Pharmacist at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.