What makes a good quality RPS pharmacy board member

Following my first full term I have been reflecting on my time as a Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) English Pharmacy Board member and the opportunities still to be realised.

In terms of supporting clinical excellence and development of pharmacy, I have:

• developed national programmes supporting students to be recognised as champions (RPS, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE]) — raising their profiles to help secure a strong future;
• supported pharmacists to be recognised as NICE scholars and fellows;
• introduced NICE to the RPS, leading to NICE accreditation – a quality standard putting us on an equal footing with other royal colleges; and
• established meaningful relations with key opinion leaders and policy makers to showcase our value and role e.g. in early detection and management of diabetes.

I have also developed and introduced a pioneering national and multidisciplinary programme through influencing and partnering with the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network, which embraces students from early years to foundation level practitioners across disciplines to work together.

In terms of working to protect the future of pharmacy, I have:

• supported the RPS international agenda – promoting our professional standards to form strong relations with pharmacy professions of Arab-African countries; promoting our products to encourage sales which helps enrich the profession and potentially help reduce members’ fee;
• co-chaired the RPS Innovators Forum – providing support and recognition of innovation;
• promoted research and worked with the RPS research team to engage national stakeholders, improve the environment for research and to build research skills profession-wide, including community;
• influenced the National Institute for Health Research to partner with RPS to support pharmacy cross-sector access funding awards.
• been a voice for pharmacy with government and other royal colleges; and 
• been responsible for influencing the Royal College of General Practitioners to partner with the RPS.

Personally, being involved with the RPS is about commitment to listening to members and learning, and striving to improve services and protect the future of pharmacy.

My experience is broad and varied. I have been a proprietor pharmacist for 20 years, and I went from a low academic grade and rose to reader level, thereafter to international recognition as adjunct professor of pharmacy in the United States.

I want to continue to be a visible presence for the membership cross-sector at all levels. As a board we must work together for all of pharmacy.

I now turn to you to ask what skills, experience and focus do you — the membership — think pharmacy needs?

Mahendra Patel

Election candidate, English Pharmacy Board

Royal Pharmaceutical Society