The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has announced the make-up of its new 14-member governing Council following recruitment to eight vacancies. The first meeting of the Council in its new form will take place on 11 April 2013.
Five of the appointments are new to the Council while three are current members. They will join the six continuing members, including GPhC Chair, Bob Nicholls.
The new appointments reflect a broad spectrum of skills and experience from pharmacy and healthcare across Great Britain.
The eight appointments are: Soraya Dhillon, Mary Elford, Tina Funnell, Mohammed Hussain, Berwyn Owen, David Prince, Samantha Quaye and Judy Worthington.
GPhC Chair, Bob Nicholls, said:
“I would like to welcome our new colleagues and say how much I am looking forward to working with them.
“I would also particularly like to thank our current Council members, including those not continuing, for their tremendous contribution to setting up a stable and well-performing organisation with a clear vision and set of values built around our number one priority – patient safety.
“It is always challenging to set up a new organisation and the current Council should be justifiably proud of what it has achieved over the past two years.”
The new appointments have been made after a robust selection process and have been confirmed by the Privy Council, as required by legislation.
The size of the governing council will remain the same (14 members), with an equal number of pharmacy and lay members.
For more information about the GPhC’s governing Council, go to http://www.pharmacyregulation.org/about-us/who-we-are/gphc-council.
The current Council ends its term on 31 March 2013.
The new membership begin their term on 1 April 2013. The members of the Council will be:
Bob Nicholls (Chair)
Sarah Brown (lay)
Soraya Dhillon (registrant)
Gordon Dykes (registrant)
Mary Elford (lay)
Tina Funnell (lay)
Mohammed Hussain (registrant)
Ray Jobling (lay)
Elizabeth Kay (registrant)
Berwyn Owen (registrant)
David Prince (lay)
Samantha Quaye (registrant)
Keith Wilson (registrant)
Judy Worthington (lay)
Biographies of continuing Council members are available at http://www.pharmacyregulation.org/about-us/who-we-are/gphc-council.
Biographies of new members:
Mary Elford
Mary is a Non-Executive Director of East London NHS Foundation Trust, providing mental health and community services.
Current appointments include:
- Council member, Queen Mary, University of London
- Lay adviser, Department of Health
- Member of the National Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards
Previous appointments include:
- Non-Executive Director, Barts & the London NHS Trust
- Range of executive roles with the John Lewis Partnership
- Trustee of the Camden Society for People with learning disabilities
- Trustee of Keen London for children with disabilities
- Business mentor for the Prince's Trust
Mohammed Hussain
Mohammed is the Clinical Safety Assurance Manager at the Electronic Prescription Service in the DH Informatics Directorate, Department of Health
Current appointments include:
• Independent member, Community Pharmacy West Yorkshire
• Director, White Rose Pharmacy Services Ltd (independent community pharmacy)
• Sessional work as a community pharmacist.
Previous appointments include:
• Member, investigating committee, RPSGB
• Head of Community Pharmacy Services, Leeds PCT
Dr Berwyn Owen
Berwyn is the Clinical Director of Pharmacy & Medicines Management at the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.
Current appointments include:
· Chair, Health Professional Forum , Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
· Associate board member, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
· Director, National Medicines Management Programme, NHS Wales & Welsh Government
· Member, All Wales Medicines Strategy Steering Group
· Honorary Senior Lecturer, Prifysgol Bangor University
· Sessional community pharmacy locum and hospital pharmacist
Previous appointments include:
- Chair, Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee
- Member, Ministerial Pharmacy Strategic Group
David Prince CBE
David is an accountant and a member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, and has a portfolio of Non Executive Director appointments, with an audit & risk specialism. He has experience at a strategic management/chief executive level with the Audit Commission and local authorities. David is currently the independent external member of the GPhC Remuneration Committee and will be resigning from this post before taking up his new duties.
Current appointments include:
· Independent member, audit & risk committee, General Osteopathic Council
· Independent member, governance, risk & audit committee, Bar Standards Board
· Independent member, audit & risk assurance committee, Care Quality Commission
Previous appointments include:
· Chair, audit & risk committee and Member, Leicestershire Police Authority
· Council member and chair of audit & risk committee, General Social Care Council
· Chief Executive, Standards Board for England
· Managing Director, strategy and resources, Audit Commission
· Chief Executive, Leicestershire County Council
Samantha Quaye
Samantha is the Chief Pharmacy Technician, Clinical Services, at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Previous appointments include:
- Hon. Secretary, APTUK
- GPhC Fitness to Practise Committee Member
- Member, Stakeholder User Advisory Board, CPPE
Outgoing Council members:
• Cathryn Brown (Council member March 2010- March 2013)
• Celia Davies (Council member March 2010- March 2013)
• John Flook (Council member March 2010- March 2013)
• Lesley Morgan MBE (Council member March 2010- March 2013)
• Peter Wilson (Council member March 2010- March 2013)
Role of the Council:
The 14-member council is the GPhC’s governing body and sets the strategic direction and objectives for the organisation, in line with its statutory purpose. It monitors the organisation’s performance and holds the executive to account, as well as ensuring probity and safeguarding the organisation’s assets.
The GPhC’s council comprises 14 members appointed by the Privy Council, with equal numbers of lay and registrant members. It includes least one member who lives or works wholly or mainly in each of England, Scotland and Wales.