pharmacists in secure environments - Royal Pharmaceutical Society

e d i t o r ’ s w o r d
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Editor
Jeffrey Mills
jeff.mills@rpsgb.org
Contributors
Miranda Green
Matt Guarente
Sue Heady
Sam Lister
Richard Northedge
Liz Rawlins
Alasdair Steven
Philippa Taylor
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Jeremy Holmes
Mike Keen
Sue Kilby
Colin Morrison
Umesh Patel
Patrick Stubbs
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Inside story
Healthcare at Her Majesty’s Pleasure
While a spell in prison is probably not top of most
pharmacists’ wish lists, for some the sound of the barred iron
gates slamming shut means little more than the fact you are
on the way to the office, or in many cases the pharmacy.
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s hard-fought campaign for the decriminalisation
of dispensing errors may be about to bear fruit, when the
Crown Prosecution Service finally reveals its intentions, meaning few, if
any, pharmacists are likely to wind up in jail for the wrong reasons. But
in the meantime, we take a look this month at one who is “inside” for all
the right reasons.
In our feature on pharmacists working in secure environments we
profile Stella Simpson, Head of Primary Care and Deputy Head of
Healthcare at Her Majesty’s Prison Holloway in London, where she and
her team are responsible for the health of around 500 inmates.
Once again we have an extended News Roundup section this month,
which includes an interview with Dr Berwyn Owen, the Chair of the
Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee, who speaks, amongst other things,
about his role in “challenging the perception of the everyday role of a
pharmacist”.
Sam Lister, Health Editor of The Times, who is newly returned from
the USA, looks at the fate of some of the healthcare promises made by
Barak Obama. And, with the Pharmacy Board elections now complete
we have a few early words from the new Chairmen, Lindsey Gilpin of
the English Pharmacy Board, Sandra Melville of the Scottish Board and
Nuala Brennan of the Welsh Board.
In the latest in our series of Professional Practice features we look at
the latest expert advice on dealing with dementia and, of course, we have
the regular Learning and Development section produced for us by the
Pharmaceutical Journal.
Out travel section this month takes us down to that little bit of Britain
in the Mediterranean, Gibraltar, and to the beautiful Spanish city of
Girona, which has yet to suffer the kind of mass tourism found in other
parts of the country. And in the transport section we have some top tips
on finding the best deals when travelling by rail.
I hope you enjoy reading this, and every, issue of the magazine and I
look forward to your feedback.
Pharmacy Professional ISSN 2042-4493
© The Royal Pharmaceutical Society 2010. While every effort has been made to ensure
that the information is correct, neither the editor nor publisher can be held responsible for
any inadvertent inaccuracies or omissions. Pharmacy Professional is protected by copyright
and nothing may be reprinted without written permission. Manuscripts, transparencies and
illustrations are submitted on the understanding that no liability is incurred for safe custody.
Jeffrey Mills, Editor
March 2010 | Pharmacy Professional
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