Details of Pharmacy Summit and Annual Meeting

Date: 07 September 2006

• The Annual Meeting of the Pharmaceutical Society will take place at Clontarf Castle on Sunday, 15th October (11am until 4pm).

• The National Pharmacy Summit will take place at the Royal Hospital, Kilmainham, Dublin on Monday, 16th October (9.30am to 4pm).

The pharmacy profession in Ireland is entering a critical phase in its development. For many decades, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland has been lobbying Government for new pharmacy legislation and an effective regulatory system for pharmacists and pharmacies in the interest of patient safety and public protection.

An Tánaiste and Minister for Health & Children, Mary Harney, T.D., is the first Minister in 40 years to propose to Government new pharmacy legislation and to make a firm commitment in the Oireachtas and to the pharmacy profession that she will progress enactment and implement the key elements of the new legislation in her period as Minister, as close as possible to her deadline of the 1st January 2007. The Society’s President, Rónan A. Quirke, and the Council of the Society have decided to call a National Pharmacy Summit to consider and deliberate upon the key fundamentals of the new legislation.

As with many of their predecessors, Rónan A. Quirke and the Council of the PSI are anxious to have the best possible and most effective legislative framework in the public interest. The Annual Meeting and in particular the National Pharmacy Summit will enable key stakeholders to deliberate upon the future of pharmacy services and the profession of pharmacy in Ireland.

All members of the profession are most welcome to the Annual Meeting at Clontarf Castle. The proceedings on 15th October will commence at 11am with the 2006 Young Pharmacists’ Forum and the Annual Meeting will commence at 2pm sharp. The agenda and papers for the meeting will be circulated in early September to each member.

Summit details are as follows:

The Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland National Pharmacy Summit
Date: 16th October 2006
Venue: Royal Hospital Kilmainham

Key question for participants: How best to protect the public?

Guest speakers:

Lord Fraser of Carmyllie will present on:
“Fitness to practise and the Regulation of the Practitioner and the Pharmacy: Lessons from the Experience of the UK”

Lord Fraser is one of the most experienced advocates in this specialist area. He chairs the Statutory Committee of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. Lord Fraser is a former Scottish Lord Advocate who has made a significant contribution to the United Kingdom system and is hugely experienced in matters relating to the effective regulation of health professionals in the 21st Century.

Dr. Norman Morrow will present on:
“Governance and Pharmacy Service in Northern Ireland: The perspective of a Chief Pharmacist”

Dr. Norman Morrow is the Chief Pharmacist at the Department of Health, Social Security and Public Safety of Northern Ireland. Norman brings an insight into how decision-makers at the highest level appraise and decide upon key fundamental policy and operational issues in professional service regulation.

Dr. Jenny King will present on:
“Competency Assurance: How can you regulate without it?”

Dr. King is a Chartered Psychologist and the Managing Director of the Edgecumbe Group which she co-founded in 1995 and leader of their health sector practice.  She is a recognised international expert on the key fundamentals of quality assurance and leadership requirements in the context of competency and standards.  

Mr. Tim Delaney will present on:
“Effective Regulation and Risk Management: Standards & Safe Systems, the perspective of a senior manager”

Tim Delaney is one of Ireland’s most experienced Chief Pharmacists and senior Health Services managers in Ireland. Tim has a practical understanding of the key issues in the development of risk management processes and safe systems in pharmacy care practice and treatment.

Ms. Ann Lewis will present on:
“The challenge facing Regulators in Pharmacy: the UK experience”

Ann Lewis is the Secretary and Registrar of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. She has led the implementation of significant changes in the pharmacy sector in the United Kingdom and is the key advisor to the United Kingdom authorities on the modernisation and change management of the regulatory system for the health professions in the United Kingdom. She is widely respected in the international pharmacy sector.

Breakout Sessions:

Breakout Sessions will focus on the next steps in key and fundamental areas such as Fitness to Practise, Competency Assurance and Patient Safety and Regulation.
Participants will have an opportunity to consider and deliberate on these matters and provide advice and guidance to senior decision-makers, including the President and the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland.
The guidance and recommendations will also be provided to the Tánaiste and the Department of Health & Children. The Breakout Sessions will be followed by a plenary session.
The President, Rónan A. Quirke, will wrap up proceedings and will announce the next steps for the Council and the profession of pharmacy.