Reappointment of the President and a Council Member to the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland

Dr Jim Livingstone’s is reappointed as President and Miss Sandra Cooke is reappointed as a Registered Person from 6 April 2019 to a date not later than 30 September 2022.

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 Practice 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 joined the NI Civil Service in October 1979. Over the next 22 years he served as Principal Statistician, Head of Information Services, Head of Financial Planning and Head of Private Finance in the Department of Education. In 2002 he was appointed Director of Primary Care at the Department of Health, and later served as Director of Infrastructure Investment and finally Director of Safety Quality & Standards (in which role he led the development of the Department's quality improvement strategy - Quality 2020) before retiring from the Service in October 2012. He then served for over 6 years as a Non-Executive Director of the NI Ambulance Service Trust Board. He is an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and has published a biography, some poetry and enjoys painting, music and family.

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. She won the Independent Pharmacist of the Year in 2015 when 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 was 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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