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Some 16 new board members have been elected to the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) National Pharmacy Boards in the Society’s 2021 elections.
The overall turnout for the elections was 13.1%, an increase from the 11.5% seen in 2019, which was the last year in which elections were held.
Across the three nations, the highest turnout was seen in Wales (21.4%), followed by Scotland, which saw a turnout of 20.7%. In England, the turnout was 11.8%.
In England, chair Claire Anderson and vice-chair Martin Astbury were re-elected, as was Thorrun Govind. Joining them are Mary Evans, Michael Maguire, Erutase Oputu, Ciara Marie Duffy, Alisdair Jones and Paul Summerfield.
In Wales, vice-chair Cheryl Way was re-elected, as was Richard Evans. Current board member Dylan Lloyd Jones was elected unopposed. Joining them are Helen Davies and Elanor Thomas, who were elected to Primary Care and the Any Sector posts, respectively.
Gareth Hughes and Eleri Schiavone were elected unopposed to the Community Practice — unspecified and Hospital posts, respectively. The second Hospital post was unfilled.
In Scotland, Andrew Carruthers and Tamara Cairney were re-elected. Joining them are Audrey Thompson, Jacqueline Sneddon, William (Iain) Bishop, Catriona Sinclair, Lucy Dixon and Omolola (Lola) Dabiri.
The elections in 2021 saw the number of candidates more than double compared with 2019.
Paul Bennett, chief executive of the RPS, said it had been “fantastic” to see a record number of candidates standing for election in 2021, adding that “the diversity they embodied and the sheer range of topics they engaged in with members is a positive step forward”.
“I’m very encouraged to see an increase in voter turnout from 11.47% in 2019 to 13.1% this year across Great Britain,” he said.
“We are delighted to welcome our new Board members and excited to shortly begin work with them, championing the profession to put pharmacy at the forefront of healthcare.”
