The Pharmacists’ Defence Association has urged the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board (UKPPLAB) to be “open and transparent with pharmacists” about any organisations its members are associated and involved with as they prepare to meet for the first time tomorrow.

The PDA said it was important the UKPPLAB provided more details about the nine independent expert members who were appointed on April 10 alongside nine “ex-officio members” on the board about their associations so the pharmacy profession can “have as much confidence in the process as possible.”

The PDA called on the UKPPLAB to publish detailed information on each board member, including a full declaration of interests and any remuneration arrangements they have.

For individuals representing an organisation on the board, the PDA called for the eligibility criteria for membership of their organisation, how many UK members they have and how their organisation is funded to be published.

“The PDA believes that it is important that such information is made available as soon as possible to give stakeholders a greater understanding. Transparency will reassure the profession about the influences and perspectives represented on the board,” pharmacy’s union said.

The PDA said it was concerned the UKPPLAB had associated its independent expert board members “with an organisation” but had failed to provide more details about them.

“It is known that some of these individuals have multiple roles currently, and there is no explanation as to why only one role is listed for each person, nor how that one was chosen in preference to their other positions,” the PDA said.

“Full transparency is a basic expectation for this kind of a body, all appointees should make clear what their associations and involvements are in all aspects of their working lives to include the multiple organisations that they may be involved in. It is important for the profession to have as much confidence in the process as possible.”

The four UK chief pharmaceutical officers said the independent expert members "will play a pivotal role in shaping and supporting the board’s work" and ensure it "is broad, balanced and ensure appropriate diversity." The independent expert members are Raymond Anderson, Laura Angus, Rebecca Chamberlain, Mildred Johnson, Dr Berwyn Owen, Professor Mahendra Patel, Shilpa Shah, Panayiotis Sphikas and Ellen Williams.

The board's ex-officio members are Academy of Medical Royal Colleges chair Dr Jeanette Dickson, Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK president Nicola Stockmann, British Oncology Pharmacy Association chair Joseph Williams, British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association president Nonyelum Anigbo, College of Mental Health Pharmacy president Karen Shuker, Pharmacy Forum of Northern Ireland chair Sheelin McKeagney, Primary Care Pharmacy Association president Graham Stretch, Royal Pharmaceutical Society president Claire Anderson and UK Clinical Pharmacy Association chair Mohamed Rahman.