The Society has said a lot about the public interest, but what benefits will modernising the Society bring to pharmacists?
In the final analysis, the Society must modernise in order to be able to continue to meet its responsibilities to the public and to its members, both as a regulator and in developing and leading the profession. But that does not mean there are no real potential benefits for pharmacists. Greater involvement of lay people could help the Society to make more robust policy and to ensure that we do not lose sight of what is important to patients, clients and customers. Closer links with the regulatory bodies for other health professions could help to foster teamworking in patient care. Extending professional regulation to pharmacy support staff can help us to progress the development of pharmacy on a broader front than ever before. The vision of professional health regulation set out in the Kennedy report reflects the way that the Society has evolved, combining the promotion of high quality practice with dealing with those who fall short of acceptable standards. The interests of the public
