The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS) election results document has revealed that only 1,762 of its members and fellows voted in its ballot for the English Pharmacy Board (EPB) while just 224 RPS members voted for the Welsh Pharmacy Board (WPB) this year.

Announcing the results yesterday (May 21), RPS chief executive Paul Bennett said that the EPB’s 10% voter participation rate was “very positive” and up from 7% in 2023.

Bennett added that the 19% voter participation rate in the WPB elections was a “strong showing” – although the full elections results document shows that just 224 individuals voted for the WPB.

Read more: RPS obscures declining membership numbers in latest annual report

RPS president Professor Claire Anderson will continue in the role as head of the society for at least another year, as she was returned to the EPB for a new three-year stint, an RPS spokesperson told C+D.

Professor Anderson received 809 votes, the most of any candidate, according to the election results document.

This year, the RPS issued 17,405 ballots for the EPB elections and 1,172 ballots for the WPB elections, it revealed. 

The elected members for all three Boards will take office from June 18, the RPS said.

 

Elected unopposed

 

Twenty candidates stood for “eight substantive places” on the EPB, while a ninth place was added due to “casual vacancy”, it added.

Meanwhile, nine nominations were received for seven vacancies on the WPB and an “election was required for the two community and two any sector vacancies”, according to the elections document.

The Scottish Pharmacy Board elections did not take place, because only seven candidates stood for its eight positions and therefore were elected unopposed, it said.

Read more: King Charles announced as RPS patron

A spokesperson for the RPS told C+D that only full members and fellows are eligible to vote, but not its student or associate members.

Earlier this month, C+D reported that the RPS had obscured its membership numbers in its latest annual report.

The society only published its total membership numbers - 37,474, down 2% from 2022 - but did not disclose how many were paying members.

Read more: ‘Much-needed continuity’: Claire Anderson re-elected as RPS president

The last time the RPS revealed its “paying membership”, in its 2022 annual report, this numbered 26,137 people.

Paid RPS membership is available to registered pharmacists, foundation year trainee pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists and retired pharmacists, according to its website.

At the end of March this year, there were 64,393 UK pharmacists on the General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPhC) register, up 3% from end-March 2023, according to its trend data.

 

Election results in full

 

The newly elected English Pharmacy Board is: 

• Claire Anderson, 809 votes, for a term of three years
• Sue Ladds, 760 votes, for a term of three years
• Tase Oputu, 717 votes, for a term of three years
• Ciara Duffy, 620 votes, for a term of three years
• Martin Astbury, 619 votes, for a term of three years
• Mike Maguire, 605 votes, for a term of two years
• Steve Churton, 579 votes, for a term of two years
• Ankish Patel, 568 votes, for a term of two years
• Matthew Prior, 550 votes, for a term of one year

The 2024 Welsh Pharmacy Board will be:

• Dylan Jones (Community/Any Sector), 134 votes, for a term of three years
• Eleri Schiavone (Any Sector), 134 votes, for a term of three years
• Aled Roberts (Any Sector), 134 votes, for a term of two years
• Gareth Hughes (Community/Any Sector), 113 votes, for a term of two years
• Helen Davies (Primary care sector), elected unopposed
• Rafia Jamil (Hospital pharmacy), elected unopposed, for a term of two years
• Geraldine McCafrey (Hospital pharmacy), elected unopposed, for a term of three years

The new Scottish Pharmacy Board is:

• Jonathan Burton, for a term of two years
• Lucy Dixon, for a term of three years
• Laura Fulton, for a term of three years
• Catriona Sinclair, for a term of three years
• Amina Slimani-Fersia, for a term of two years
• Richard Strang, for a term of two years
• Audrey Thompson, for a term of three years

Last week, C+D reported that King Charles III had been announced as the RPS patron, succeeding Queen Elizabeth II and George VI in the role.