Skip to content

This Site is Intended for Healthcare Professionals Only

Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

RPS election results 2024 announced: Check the names of elected members

RPS election results 2024 announced: Check the names of elected members

According to RPS chief executive Paul Bennett, voter participation in England has increased by nearly 3% to 10.1% this year

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has announced the results of the 2024 elections for its three national Pharmacy Boards.


For the English Pharmacy Board, the newly elected members include Claire Anderson, Martin Astbury, Steve Churton, Ciara Duffy, Sue Ladds, Mike Maguire, Tase Oputu and Ankish Patel.

Matthew Prior has been elected for a period of one year to fill the casual vacancy on the Board.

Seven candidates have been elected unopposed to the RPS Scottish Pharmacy Board. They include: Jonathan Burton, Lucy Dixon, Laura Fulton, Catriona Sinclair, Amina Slimani-Fersia, Richard Strang and Audrey Thompson. Only seven nominations were received for the eight substantive vacancies on the board.

Helen Davies has been elected to the RPS Welsh Pharmacy Board to represent the Primary Care sector. Meanwhile, Rafia Jamil and Geraldine McCaffrey have been elected unopposed to fill the two vacancies in the Hospital sector.

Gareth Hughes and Dylan Jones will fill the two Community Pharmacy sector posts, while Aled Roberts and Eleri Schiavone have been elected to the two Any Sector posts.

RPS chief executive Paul Bennett welcomed the newly elected Board members across Great Britain and thanked all the candidates who participated in this year’s election for their time and effort.

“It has been encouraging to see a range of candidates from diverse backgrounds put themselves before the membership and with a shared goal of wanting to see the RPS flourish as a professional leadership body,” he said.

According to Bennett, voter participation in England has increased by nearly 3 per cent, rising from 7.3 per cent in 2023 to 10.1 per cent this year. Additionally, there was a strong turnout in Wales, where participation reached 19.1 per cent.

“I and each of my colleagues across the organisation look forward to working with the newly elected members, returning members and continuing members to champion the profession and put pharmacy at the forefront of healthcare,” he added.

The elected members for all three Boards will take office from 18 June.

More For You

Home cervical screening kits in England

Government data states that around five million women are still not attending cervical screenings

Getty Images

Home cervical screening kits launched in England

Key Summary

  • NHS England has launched at-home cervical screening kits to improve uptake among women aged 25 to 64.
  • The discreet kits aim to overcome barriers like embarrassment and increase screening rates from 68.8 per cent towards the 80 per cent target.
  • Early diagnosis through home testing is expected to boost survival rates and help tackle cervical cancer for all communities.

NHS England has created an innovative at-home human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, for women who are yet to take cervical screening service.

Keep ReadingShow less
NHS warns doctors using unapproved  AI Software

NHS England has demanded that GPs and hospitals stop using artificial intelligence software that could breach data protection rules.

iStock

NHS warns doctors against use of unapproved AI software

Key Summary

  • NHS wants GPs and hospitals to stop using dubious artificial intelligence software during patient meetings
  • It had in April urged the doctors to use AI for notetaking using Ambient Voice Technology software
  • But it now claims that many AVT suppliers, who fail to meet NHS governance standards, are selling them to doctors
  • British Medical Association officials want the NHS to help doctors choose the safe AVT software

Doctors have been warned against the use of AI software that does not meet minimum standards to record and transcribe patient meetings.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mother holding newborn baby during early postnatal care in NHS maternity setting

Mother with newborn in NHS maternity care

Getty Images

Failing maternity services leads to nation-wide inquiry

Key Summary
  • Wes Streeting has ordered a national inquiry into failing NHS maternity and neonatal services
  • The review will start this summer, focusing first on the worst-performing units
  • A second phase will examine the entire system and propose national improvements
  • The inquiry will tackle racial inequalities and maternity mortality disparities

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has commissioned a nation-wide inquiry due to the rise in the number of failing maternity and neonatal services in the country.

NHS trusts such as Morecambe Bay, Shrewsbury and Telford, East Kent, Nottingham and Leeds are some of the names on the worst-performing list.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK globally competitive in life sciences

The Industrial Strategy has identified eight high-growth potential sectors, including life sciences.

iStock

Key test will be to make UK globally competitive in life sciences: ABPI

Key Summary

  • The Industrial Strategy has identified life sciences as one of its high-growth potential sectors
  • ABPI wants the UK to become a leading centre for life sciences research and development
  • It wants the government to move quickly from planning to delivery

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) has welcomed the government’s new Industrial Strategy, but said the key test for life sciences will be whether it can return the UK to international competitiveness.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screening newborn babies for rare diseases will involve sequencing their complete DNA

Screening newborn babies for rare diseases will involve sequencing their complete DNA

iStock

DNA test for all babies to study disease risk

Key Summary

  • The DNA of newborn babies will be sequenced using blood samples from their umbilical cord
  • The government will invest £650m in DNA research for all patients by 2030
  • Genomics and AI would be used for faster diagnoses

Children born in England will have their DNA mapped to screen for hundreds of diseases under the NHS plan for the next 10 years.

Keep ReadingShow less