Elections to the national pharmacy boards

The information below is extracted from the ‘Information for Candidates’ document, which is available in full on the Society’s website.

The 21 February 2015 issue of
The Pharmaceutical Journal
 includes the formal notices for the forthcoming elections to the national pharmacy boards, which provide more detail about the vacancies on each board.

Role of the national pharmacy boards

The English, Scottish and Welsh Pharmacy Boards provide professional leadership and ensure provision of services to support pharmacy in the country in which they each serve. In discharging their responsibilities, the boards: 
i) inform the assembly in developing the Society’s strategy by advising on likely developments affecting pharmacy; 
ii) provide strategic leadership, advocacy and support for pharmacy practice development; 
iii) lead the implementation of the Society’s strategy by developing and putting in place associated policies; 
iv) promote the science and practice of pharmacy and its contribution to health; 
v) provide professional advice to government and its agencies, NHS bodies and other health and social care organisations; 
vi) guide and support the Society’s local practice forums (LPFs); 
vii) support pharmacists in their professional roles. 
Each national board provides a brief update on national matters to each assembly meeting.

Election procedures

1. Introduction

The detailed election procedure is given in the Election Scheme for members of the national pharmacy boards in 2015. This section covers those matters of procedure that are common to all the boards.

2. Eligibility criteria

A member shall be eligible for election only if they are a member of the Society. 
A retired member of the Society shall be eligible for election. 
A member may only stand for election to one board. 
A member shall be eligible for election to the English Pharmacy Board only if they work or live wholly or mainly in England, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man. 
A member shall be eligible for election to the Scottish Pharmacy Board only if they work or live wholly or mainly in Scotland. 
A member shall be eligible for election to the Welsh Pharmacy Board only if they work or live wholly or mainly in Wales. 
If, by resolution of a board, any elected member of that board has ceased to meet the requirements relating to his or her residency he or she shall cease to be a member of the board in question. 
Any elected member of a board who changes his or her substantive practice following his or her election shall be eligible to serve the full term for which he or she was elected. 
No member shall be eligible for election if he or she has failed to pay by the date and time fixed for the return of nomination forms any subscription or other debt due and payable by him or her to the Society. 
No member shall be eligible for election if he or she has been charged with a criminal offence or has been notified by the Society or any professional, regulatory or public body that he or she is subject to investigation in relation to his or her conduct or competence, and the matter is unresolved. 
No member shall be eligible for election if he or she is employed by the Society.

3. Places reserved for members and Fellows in a particular sector of practice (England and Wales only)

Each candidate will be a candidate for election for a place allocated to a candidate in any sector of practice. In addition, where there are places allocated for particular sectors of practice, a candidate may also be nominated for election to a place allocated for a member or Fellow practising in a particular sector of practice. No candidate may be eligible for election to more than one place allocated for a member or Fellow practising in a particular sector of practice in the same election.

Once elected, a member of a board who changes her/his sector of practice is entitled to continue to serve the remainder of her/his term of office.

Sectors of practice (for which there are vacancies this year) are defined as follows:

Community practice pharmacist: 
A pharmacist whose substantive practice is working in a community practice setting.

Hospital pharmacist: 
A pharmacist whose substantive practice is working in a hospital setting.

Primary care pharmacist: 
A pharmacist whose substantive practice is working in one of the following settings: GP practice in an advisory capacity; clinical commissioning group, commissioning support organisation, or working for or supporting NHS England, NHS health board (Scotland) or local health board (Wales); community services; prisons; providers of services to primary care organisations. This list is not exhaustive and candidates in another aspect of practice that they feel comes under the heading of primary care pharmacist should check with the returning officer.

Industrial pharmacistA pharmacist whose substantive practice is working in an industrial setting.

4. Nominations

Detailed information on nominations appears on the nomination form, which can be obtained from www.uk-engage.org.uk/rps. Candidates must ensure they have the correct nomination form for their country.

The main points are:

i) Nominators must be members eligible to vote for a candidate they are nominating, i.e.
a member who is resident in England, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man at the time the electoral roll is closed will be entitled to nominate a candidate for the English Pharmacy Board election; a
 member who is resident in Scotland at the time the electoral roll is closed will be entitled to nominate a candidate for the Scottish Pharmacy Board election; a
 member who is resident in Wales at the time the electoral roll is closed will be entitled to nominate a candidate for the Welsh Pharmacy Board election; and a
 member who is resident overseas at the time the electoral roll is closed will be entitled to nominate a candidate for the English Pharmacy Board election unless s/he has opted by 5pm on 9 April 2015 to be an elector of one of the other boards.

ii) Nominators are expected to have some personal knowledge of the prospective nominee and to be reasonably satisfied that he or she is suitable to serve as a member of a national pharmacy board.

iii) Candidates may not nominate themselves for election.

iv) Nominators may not withdraw the nomination of a prospective candidate once made.

5. Particulars of work within and for the profession and declaration of relevant interests

Candidates must 
provide information to the electorate on the extent and type of work undertaken by them within, and for, the profession of pharmacy. They are also required to provide information on their address as on the Society’s database and date(s) of registration as a pharmacist in Great Britain on the nomination form. These details, which are published in The Pharmaceutical Journal, will be standardised under the following headings: 
a) name and town; 
b) Society membership category and membership number; 
c) date(s) of registration as a pharmacist in Great Britain; 
d) the sectoral place, if any, the candidate is standing for; 
e) current positions held — 
(i) occupation, 
(ii) public service positions where relevant to pharmacy, 
(iii) positions held as an officer or member of the governing body or committee of a pharmaceutical organisation, including a part of the Society, 
(iv) positions held as an officer or member of the governing body or committee of any organisation associated with health or healthcare, science or education where relevant to pharmacy; 
f) previous positions held (with dates) — 
(i) occupation, 
(ii) public service positions where relevant to pharmacy, 
(iii) positions held as an officer or member of the governing body or committee of a pharmaceutical organisation, including a part of the Society, 
(iv) positions held as an officer or member of the governing body or committee of any organisation associated with health or healthcare, science or education where relevant to pharmacy.

Candidates may, in addition, provide particulars of their professional qualifications. 
Candidates are
also required
to declare any relevant interests not given in the particulars of work above, under the following headings. 
All items are obligatory: 
(a) employment, including listing of full and part-time employment, giving details of employer and nature of duties, including: 
paid directorships of companies (public or private), 
full-time paid employment, 
part-time paid employment; 
(b) offices held, including those for which a candidate is paid — where this includes membership of any other healthcare organisation, the nature of such membership and any office held must be indicated; 
(c) other paid activity, including consultancies, self-employed work (including contract work), and contributions to professional and scientific publications for which the candidate is paid; 
(d) sponsorship, including any awards, sponsorship, bursaries, grants for research, etc; 
(e) unpaid activity, including membership of organisations, committees etc not listed above; 
(f) family interests, including any financial interests of the candidate or close family members that might be considered relevant to her/his position as a member of a board; 
(g) beneficial interests in shareholdings, including the names of companies or other bodies in which the candidate has, either on her/his own behalf or on behalf of or with a spouse, civil or common law partner, or children under 18 years of age, a beneficial interest in shareholding of a nominal value greater than one-hundredth of the issued share capital.

The particulars of work and professional qualifications, declarations of interests and election statement (see item 6 below) when put together should not exceed 630 words in total.

6. Election statements and photos

Candidates may in addition to the particulars of work and declaration of relevant interests supply an election statement and photograph to be sent direct to each voter with the voting papers, thereby allowing candidates the maximum freedom of expression. In this regard, prospective candidates may be interested to note that a survey of a sample of members carried out after the 2014 elections showed that candidates are likely to gain more votes if they are clear about their policies as well as the level and breadth of their experience.

The publication of a high-quality photograph of a candidate can have a very positive impact on voters. We therefore encourage all candidates to follow as closely as possible the guidelines set out in the ‘Information for Candidates’ document in order to ensure their portrayal in the best possible way.

The returning officer will not publish an election statement, particulars of work and declaration of relevant interests relating to a candidate which together exceed 630 words. The optional election statement itself should not exceed 350 words. Please note that as part of the 350-word statement candidates should include a headline of not more than 20 words to summarise for the voters why they should vote for you. Neither will the returning officer publish any election statement which in his or her opinion would amount to the commission of a criminal offence or would render the Society potentially liable to civil proceedings or bring disrepute to the Society. The returning officer may in consultation with the candidate issue a statement of clarification if in his opinion any part of an election statement refers to matters outside the current functions, powers and duties of the relevant board.

7. Other declarations and undertakings

Every candidate for election to the national pharmacy boards is required to sign declarations and undertakings relating to the following. These are included in the nomination form, where further guidance can be found:

7.1 Adverse decisions

Members and Fellows who have received adverse decisions, for example from a court or regulatory body, are eligible to be candidates. Declaration of adverse decisions is in-keeping with principles of transparency and probity.

7.2 Current investigations

A member or Fellow is not eligible for election if s/he has been charged with a criminal offence or has been notified by the Society or any professional, regulatory or public body that s/he is subject to investigation in relation to her/his conduct or competence. This is to protect the reputation of the Society and the profession from the unknown, pending the outcome of the investigation.

If you are in any doubt whether this requirement applies to you, please seek guidance from the returning officer before submitting your nomination.

7.3 Disqualification as a director or trustee

National pharmacy boards exercise considerable delegated authority within the Society and form the pool of members from which the governing body, the assembly, is elected. A member or Fellow is not eligible for election if s/he is currently disqualified from being a company director or is, or would be, disqualified from being a charity trustee. The standard is that any of the events listed in section 178 of the Charities Act 2011 must not apply to the candidate. In summary, these events are disqualification from acting as a company director or charity trustee, any conviction for dishonesty or deception, has been adjudged bankrupt and has not been discharged, or has made a composition with creditors that has not been discharged.

If you are in any doubt whether this requirement applies to you, please seek guidance from the returning officer before submitting your nomination.

8. Information and assistance

The Society does not seek to influence the election of board members. Beyond the dissemination of the biographical details and declaration of relevant interests, election statement and declaration of adverse decisions with the voting papers, the Society will provide no information or assistance to election candidates over and above what it would normally provide to any member in fulfilment of its Charter obligations.


9. Publicity

9.1 Contributions to The Pharmaceutical Journal

The following reflects the principle of equal coverage being made available to all candidates, should they wish to avail themselves of it: 
i) from the date that nominations are closed to the final date for the return of voting papers to the scrutineer, candidates are expected to send no more than two letters, of which each must be on a different topic, for inclusion in The Pharmaceutical Journal
ii) The Pharmaceutical Journal will consider a maximum of two letters from each candidate for inclusion in issues dating from the publication of the nominations to the final date for the return of voting papers to the scrutineer; 
iii) each letter must be no longer than 400 words; 
iv) letters must be about issues, not personalities and should neither promote other candidates nor criticise them negatively. Material that contravenes the above will be amended or removed; 
v) the editor reserves the right to remove or amend material, or refuse publication outright, at her/his discretion; 
vi) The Pharmaceutical Journal will not publish articles of any sort from candidates during the election period, unless they are part of a commissioned series or planned some time in advance or otherwise commissioned at the editor’s discretion; 
vii) candidates are expected not to submit paid advertisements relating to their candidacy for inclusion in The Pharmaceutical Journal from the date that nominations are closed to the final date for return of voting papers to UK Engage. Any such advertisements received from known candidates will not be published during this period; 
viii) contributions to The Pharmaceutical Journal on behalf of candidates will be treated in the same manner as contributions from candidates themselves.

9.2 Contributions to other publications or forums, including internet sites or discussion groups, LPF, house or member organisation magazines

I
t is expected that anything written by, on behalf of or about candidates should not be libellous or untrue in matters of fact. Candidates are asked to refrain from negative campaigning. 
Candidates should bear in mind that, under the Society’s Code of Conduct, they are required to behave with integrity and honesty and to maintain the dignity and welfare of the Society and their profession.


9.3 Notes to editors

Should an editor or editors choose to pose questions to candidates, they are asked in the interests of fairness to ensure that all candidates are given the opportunity to respond to the questions and that the length of the responses be restricted.


10. Hustings

The Society is planning to arrange online hustings for candidates (please see the ‘Information for Candidates’ document for further information).

Outside organisations or parts of the Society may arrange hustings events, if they so wish, provided all candidates are given an equal opportunity to present their views.

There will be no restriction on the reporting of hustings events by the pharmacy media. It may be difficult for all candidates to attend such meetings. If a candidate cannot attend, s/he should have an opportunity of submitting a statement, equal in length to the opening statements of candidates who are able to attend, to be read by the chairman or some other appropriate person.

Last updated
Citation
The Pharmaceutical Journal, PJ, 21 February 2015, Vol 294, No 7850;294(7850):DOI:10.1211/PJ.2015.20067882

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