The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has announced the appointment of five new members to its governing council, including the group chief pharmacist at Barts Health NHS Trust.
Professor Dianne Ford, pro vice-chancellor of the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences at Northumbria University and a co-opted governor at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, and Gareth Powell, a Cardiff-based chartered accountant and former chief operating officer of BBC Wales will begin their terms on 1 April 2024.
Joining them will be Adeyemi (Ade) Williams, superintendent pharmacist and director of M J Williams Pharmacy, and lead prescribing pharmacist at the Bedminster Pharmacy, Bristol.
Mr Williams is also associate non-executive director at both the North Bristol NHS Trust and the Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust.
The trio will replace Jo Kember, Mark Hammond and Dr Arun Midha on the GPhC governing council.
Commenting on the appointments, Gisela Abbam, chair of the GPhC, said: ‘It’s vital that our council members are drawn from the widest possible talent pools, bringing with them different life experiences, ideas, and perspectives, to inform our discussions and decisions.
‘This year, we had a very large volume of applications from high calibre people applying to serve on our council, and I am delighted that these five new members will be joining us over the next two years.
‘We also recruited one new council member who lives and works in Wales within this cohort, to maintain the important requirements for our council to include members from across the three countries we regulate.’
GPhC governing council 2025 appointments
Dr Raliat Onatade and Tim Jaggard have also been appointed and will begin their terms on 1 April 2025.
Dr Onatade is chief pharmacist and director of medicines and pharmacy for North-East London Integrated Care System, as well as group chief pharmacist at Barts Health NHS Trust, and chief pharmacist for North Thames Genomic Medicine Service Alliance.
She has spent most of her career leading advances in UK clinical pharmacy practice and her academic interests are the development and evaluation of new clinical pharmacy practice models, pharmaceutical care, medication safety and quality improvement.
Mr Jaggard is deputy chief executive and chief financial officer at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and was previously a non-executive director on the Board of a public-private pathology partnership, providing pathology services to NHS and private hospitals.
They will replace Elizabeth Mailey and Jayne Salt on the GPhC governing council.
Ms Abbam added: ‘There are significant developments impacting on pharmacy and pharmacy regulation and we have an ambitious programme of work ahead.
‘I’m sure that our new members will help shape our strategic plans for the future and help patients and wider society to benefit from safe, effective and inclusive pharmacy care.
‘I’d also like to thank our outgoing council members for their hard work and dedication throughout their terms of office, and I wish them all the best for the future.’
The GPhC announced two new executive appointees late last year, shortly before announcing a 7.5% increase in fees.
Image – top left to right: Professor Dianne Ford, Gareth Powell, Ade Williams. Bottom left to right: Dr Raliat Onatade and Tim Jaggard.
