Extensions to the Terms of Appointment of the President and a Council Member to the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland

The Department of Health has announced the extensions to the terms of appointment of two serving council members to the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland. Dr Jim Livingstone’s term as President and Miss Sandra Cooke’s term as a Registered Person have been extended by six months from 6 October 2018 to a date not later than 5 April 2019.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland Council comprises of 14 Non-Executive Members – 7 registered persons and 7 lay members. 

Council members are remunerated by an attendance fee, summarised as follows:

The procedure for these appointments is not bound by the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland; however the appointment process was carried out in the ‘spirit of the Code’.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland was established by the Pharmacy and Poisons Act (Northern Ireland) 1925, and has been based at 73 University Street, Belfast since 1933.

It is the regulatory and professional body for pharmacists in Northern Ireland.  It maintains a register of over 2300 pharmacists, 210 pre-registration trainees and over 500 pharmacy premises across the country.

As the regulatory body it protects patient and public safety by:

• setting and promoting standards for pharmacists' admission to the register and for remaining on the register;
• maintaining a publicly accessible register of pharmacists, and pharmacy premises;
• handling concerns about the Fitness to Practise of registrants, acting as a complaints portal and taking action to protect the public; and
• ensuring high standards of education and training for pharmacists in Northern Ireland.

Notes to editors: 

1. Dr Jim Livingstone was born and lives in Belfast. He is married with three daughters, one son and two grandchildren.
   
   After graduating with a B.Sc. degree and PhD in psychology at Queens University Belfast, he joined the NI Civil Service in October 1979. Over the next 20 years he served as Principal Statistician, Head of Information Services, Head of Financial Planning and Head of Private Finance in the Department of Education NI. In 2001 he was appointed Director of Primary Care at the Department of Health, and later served as Director of Infrastructure Investment and Director of Safety Quality & Standards before retiring from the NI Civil Service in October 2012.He was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the NI Ambulance Service Trust Board in November 2012. He was also appointed by the Minister of Health in October 2014 as President of the Pharmaceutical Society NI, the regulatory body for pharmacists practicing in Northern Ireland.
   
   He is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and has published a biography, some poetry and enjoys painting.
2. Miss Sandra Cooke was appointed as a Council member to the Pharmaceutical Society in 2014 where she has been involved in various Committees including Audit and Risk, Fitness to Practice and Education, Standards and Regulation. Sandra won Independent Pharmacist of the Year in 2015 where she was recognised for her commitment to both her patients and the profession. In 2015 Sandra was appointed as the Western Area Committee member on the BSO Pharmaceutical Committee. In addition Sandra attended meetings in Dublin as a Steering Group Committee Member in the Irish Institute of Pharmacy from 2016 to 2018.  
3. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. Both appointees have declared they have not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.
4. For media enquiries please contact the DoH Press Office team on 028 9052 0575 or email pressoffice@health-ni.gov.uk  Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer on 028 9037 8110. Follow us on twitter @healthdpt

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