At the meeting held on 22 November 2023, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Assembly Members agreed in the open business session that the imbalance in the election places currently existing in all three National Pharmacy Boards across the three-year cycle (created when changes were made to term lengths during the COVID-19 pandemic) will now be reset back to a more even split across the years.
As a result, the length of the terms of office for the various board places in 2024 will be amended (NB — the changes do not affect the number of places for election in 2024).
The following amendments to the Society’s regulations will therefore take effect from 1 February 2024. Any member who wishes to comment to the Assembly on the changes is asked to do so by 26 January 2024. Comments should be sent to president@rpharms.com
Regulation 7.4.2 National Pharmacy Board will be amended as follows (additions in italics):
The period of office of members elected to the National Pharmacy Boards shall be three years (with the exception in 2021 of any Board Members whose term of office originally expired in 2020 but was extended by 12 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, whose term of office upon re-election in 2021 shall be two years) with the following exceptions in 2024:
- in England, the first 5 candidates elected shall serve for three years and the remaining 3 candidates elected shall serve for two years;
- in Scotland, the first 4 candidates elected shall serve for three years and the remaining 4 candidates elected shall serve for two years;
- in Wales, the Primary Care candidate elected, the first Hospital candidate elected, the first Community candidate elected and the first Any Sector candidate elected shall serve for three years and the remaining Hospital, Community and Any Sector candidates elected shall serve for two years
in order to address the imbalance that arose in the number of places for election each year on the National Pharmacy Boards due to changes in terms of office made during the COVID-19 pandemic period.
Terms of office shall expire at midnight on the day before the effective date detailed in the Election Scheme in the relevant year.