A national pharmacy leader has been elected as the new president of NAPC – strengthening the organisation’s expertise on integrated working, neighbourhood care and population health.
Ashok ‘Ash’ Soni OBE has been selected to take the helm as NAPC President, making him the first ever pharmacist to do so in NAPC’s 20-year history.
He was elected to the role at NAPC’s annual general meeting this week, taking over from Dr Johnny Marshall whose tenure came to an end.
Ash Soni, President, NAPC
Ash began his pharmacy career in the heart of the community in London when he opened the first of three pharmacies in 1986. He then went on to share his expertise in a number of senior regional and national roles.
He is the Vice President of International Pharmaceutical Federation and holds non-executive director roles at Oxford University Hospitals Foundation Trust and NHS Sussex. He is the Past President at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and Honorary Fellow of The UCL School of Pharmacy. He was a board member of Health Education South London from 2013-2015.
He has held several roles at NAPC for nearly a decade, including pharmacy lead, Council member and member of the Executive Committee.
Ash said: “I’m very proud to be the first pharmacist to hold the position of NAPC President. It demonstrates how much the NAPC believes in the breadth of the primary care family and reinforces the vital role of pharmacy in delivering true integration: the right care in the right place at the right time.
“I’m incredibly excited about the future of NAPC. We are ahead of the game having led the development of neighbourhood care, population health and integrated working for over two decades. Our work has led to new, innovative care models and influenced national policy. I look forward to seeing this work continue to grow and flourish.”
Commenting on his tenure as President, Dr Johnny Marshall said: “It’s been an honour to serve as president of NAPC at such an exciting time for the organisation. NAPC’s work across the country to promote and support a population health-based neighbourhood approach is improving outcomes for patients and experiences of our staff. We are now getting a glimpse of what a whole health and care system looks like – and NAPC has been at the heart of this transformation.
“Ash’s appointment as NAPC President will bring enormous value. His skills and experience will strengthen the breadth of knowledge and diversity and ensure pharmacy has the representation it deserves.”
The Council and annual general meetings also saw a diverse range of colleague elected to NAPC’s Board and Council. These are:
New Board members:
- Ed Bosonnet, Primary Care Director, Medefer
- Joanne Haws, Independent Nurse Consultant, Specialist in Cardiovascular Disease and Clinical Director
- Dr Minesh Patel, GP Partner, Moatfield Surgery, East Grinstead
- Caroline Rollings, Wellbeing Lead, NAPC
- Caroline Taylor, GP, Calderdale and Chair, NAPC
New Council members:
- Zulf Ali, Chief Executive, York Medical Group
- Stephen James, Executive Director, Breckland Council, Norfolk
- Dr Dustyn Saint, GP Partner, Long Stratton Medical Partnership, Norfolk
- Dr Markus Maiden-Tilsen, Senior GP Partner, The Grange Practice, Kent
- Sarah Walker, Operations and Development Manager, Westongrove Partnership, Buckinghamshire
