RPS chief executive ‘disappointed’ by some members’ behaviour during 2018 elections

Paul Bennett, the chief executive of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), has said he was “disappointed” by the behaviour of a minority of Society members — both candidates and non-candidates — during the 2018 RPS national pharmacy board elections.

Following announcement of the election results on 21 May 2018, Bennett said that “certain behaviours have fallen considerably short of the professional standards I believe most members would expect”. Bennett did not specify what behaviour he was referring to in the statement, but added that in 2019 clearer guidelines on expected standards of behaviour will be issued to candidates standing for election.

Emphasising that the conduct of members is important to the Society, Bennett said that candidates will be advised that any alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct reported to the Society, at any time, will be investigated and “action taken according to the relevant governance processes”.

Bennett added: “I will be specifically requesting that the second phase of the Society’s current governance review project looks at a number of ways by which the election process in general might be revised and trust that any recommendations would then be approved by our Assembly.”