Opinion: I am standing for the RPS English Pharmacy Board. This is why

The question was unexpected, and it prompted me to reflect on my motivation. Was it because I wanted to change everything that I felt was wrong with the profession? Was it that I was impatient for something to do? Was it out of self-interest? Did I feel the need for recognition or kudos? Was I going mad!? 

With the possible exception of the latter, I can hand-on-heart say that none of the above apply. I am “bothering” because I am bothered. 

I am bothered about what I see in the leadership of our profession. Or to be more accurate, the lack of it. I am bothered that the pharmacy landscape is changing so quickly and positively and that we are not prepared for it. That our professional leadership is ineffective and fragmented to such an extent that we waste time in silo thinking rather than productive collaboration.  

At the same time I am encouraged by the commission established by the chief pharmaceutical officers to examine our requirements for future professional leadership and ensure that it is fit for purpose. I am excited to see the membership of the (PPLAB) board now convened to take the recommendations of the commission forward.  

Now is not the time to rehearse in detail my election campaign messages, because there are plenty of other channels for that, but it is fair to say that I have been a critical friend of the RPS, our current professional leadership body, questioning the messages it is giving to members and provocatively calling for it to be replaced.

You could be forgiven for thinking that I want it to be relegated to the periphery of professional leadership. After all it now only enjoys the confidence of around a third of the potential membership – so what does that say about its perceived value and influence?

What I really want, however, is whatever is considered right for our patients. For me, this is pre-eminent. Professional leadership should always be cognisant first and foremost of the public interest. 

Having invested the best part of three years of my life in establishing the RPS, why, some 14 years later, would I want to see it marginalised? Nothing would please me more than to see it as a major stakeholder in a world-class professional leadership ecosystem. But it does not have an automatic “rite of passage” and needs to undergo a radical transformation in its modus operandi, relevance and ambition in my view. 

Listening is important

So enough of my passion for the future of our leadership and back to why I am standing for election. I suspect in a very similar way to the other candidates in the election I am standing because I believe in a cause, and I feel I have something to contribute and the ability and influence to make it happen.  

I am also standing because I believe we need to call upon the diverse experiences within the profession. We will only reach the right decisions by listening to the views of others and by synthesising these into coherent and well supported policies and strategies. If important voices are missing from the debate we will end up with suboptimal thinking and ineffective decision making. 

I wouldn’t describe myself as a fossil, but I have been around for a while! I am not, however, a member of the “we tried that before; it didn't work then and it won’t work now” school of thinking. Times have changed and we need to change our thinking and approach.

I will not pretend to be familiar with many of the issues facing pharmacists in their daily practice, but I can hopefully provide some context, experience and wisdom to help resolve these.  

Likewise, I would not expect the majority of candidates to necessarily appreciate the importance of drawing on the invaluable experiences of those who have been fortunate to have held senior and influential roles in the profession, the ability to think strategically and with a good understanding of the practical complexities of actually making positive change happen. 

There is absolutely and essentially room for all voices on an effective board, along with a requirement for a fair and challenging chair, and for an understanding and appreciation of the importance of taking collective responsibility. 

So that is why I am standing for election. To add and blend a particular experience and voice to that of others, so that we can deliver the very best for our patients and create the professional environment that we all want to see and be proud to be part of. 

Some things are worth bothering about. 

Steve Churton is standing as a candidate in this year’s Royal Pharmaceutical Society national board elections in England. It is expected that voting instructions will be sent to the electorate on or about May 10. The deadline for voting will be 5pm on May 20. Pharmacy Magazine welcomes personal manifestos or position statements from all the candidates. Contact the editor: richard.thomas@1530.com.