victorian Pharmacy - Royal Pharmaceutical Society

T h e V i e w f r o m wa l e s
Paul Gimson, Director for Wales
Looking out for you
Sometimes it feels as if the pharmacy
profession is fighting battles on all fronts
There is certainly no doubt that the
profession is coming under growing
pressures and pharmacists have
needed to become masters of juggling their
priorities.
Rest assured that RPS is acutely aware of
the pressures facing you and we are here to
stand by you at all times. While it is true that
the Society is going through a dramatic and
exciting transformation, I can assure you that
our main focus has not changed – we are here
to look out for you, to listen to you and to
work on your behalf.
As we approach the official launch of the
new professional leadership body, the Welsh
Directorate of RPS continues to be a hive of
activity, working with colleagues across RPS
and with other partners to explore where we
can support you in your daily practice, in
your future career direction and where we
can influence the future of the profession.
By fully embracing change - in the Society
and in the NHS – your RPS team in Wales is
taking a very positive view on developing and
promoting the pharmacy profession, aiming
to ensure that ‘difficulties mastered are
opportunities won’.
It is also reassuring to know that members
of the Welsh Pharmacy Board have real
ambition for your profession. We are working
on your behalf to ensure this ambition is
turned into reality and this month’s View
from Wales outlines some of the activity that
we have been taking forward for you over the
past month.
On a final note, we have some exciting
developments lined up for the rest of year to
ensure we engage with you and listen to your
concerns as well as your ideas for the future.
My message to all pharmacists in Wales
therefore stands firm; get involved and help
us to drive your ambition.
A very positive
view on developing
and promoting the
pharmacy profession,
aiming to ensure that
‘difficulties mastered
are opportunities won’
Science and the Assembly
The Welsh Directorate joined forces with
the RPS Science and Research Team and
the Welsh School of Pharmacy to highlight
the importance of pharmaceutical science
and research at the annual Science and
the Assembly event held on Tuesday May
18. Organised by the Royal Society of
Chemistry, the event has established itself as
a major forum providing opportunities for
Welsh Assembly Members to meet scientists
from across Wales and to discuss topical
scientific issues.
This year’s event was addressed by speakers
from diverse scientific fields and included a
presentation by the recently appointed Chief
Scientific Adviser for Wales, Professor John
Harries. In his address, Professor Harries
outlined his initial plans for Wales focusing
on the importance of collaboration between
industry, academia and across disciplines,
developing a strong knowledge economy and
securing funding and investment for S&R in
Wales. The event was also attended by Lesley
Griffith AM, Deputy Minister for Science,
Innovation and Skills.
RPS took the opportunity this year to work
in collaboration with Cardiff University to
promote pharmaceutical science at the event’s
exhibition held in the National Assembly for
Wales’ Senedd building in Cardiff Bay. The
exhibition included a wide range of resources
about the science of pharmacy as well as an
interesting display of innovation and research
in the development of micro-needles by the
Welsh School of Pharmacy.
Pharmacy at the Eisteddfod
The Welsh Directorate of Royal
Pharmaceutical Society took the opportunity
to promote pharmacy to the community
at the annual Eisteddfod yr Urdd, Wales’
cultural youth festival, this year hosted in
Llanerchaeron, Ceredigion.
Geraint Morgan who was at the event
representing the Hywel Dda Local Practice
Forum, attended the Year 13 and under male
choir competition which took place on Friday,
4 June, and was sponsored by the Royal
Pharmaceutical Society.
With up to 100,000 visitors and 15,000
competitors at the festival along with the
huge TV and radio audience, this was a
great opportunity for the Society to promote
pharmacy in Wales to the younger generations
and an opportunity to present to them the idea
of pharmacy as a future career.
Welsh Board delivers on health
literacy
A literature review by Public Health Wales
on health literacy, written to inform those
conducting future health literacy work
in Wales, has picked up on the Welsh
Board’s efforts to promote this in Wales.
In preparation for this literature review, an
initial report was written by Anne Hinchliffe,
Consultant in Pharmaceutical Public Health,
who hoped the report would “demonstrate
the breadth and importance of pharmacy’s
contribution to health literacy.”
Health literacy is particularly relevant to
pharmacy and over the years there has been
a lot of work completed in this area, both
to help pharmacists communicate messages
more effectively and to support patients so
they have a better understanding of medicines
and how to use them safely. As part of our
leadership role, we write a column ‘Ask
The expert’ for the Western Mail newspaper
which acts as a direct link to the Welsh public
to showcase pharmacy as well as helping to
educate the Welsh public. This was used in
the report submitted to Public Health Wales
(who have been commissioned by WAG to
explore opportunities for health literacy in
Wales) as an example of existing work.
The report also mentioned media campaigns
developed by the Welsh Board and its ability to
seek opportunities to get campaign messages
out in Wales using local Welsh media.
Are you using the new RPS
virtual networks?
We have developed a short tutorial that is
available as a webinar. This webinar is designed
to provide a ‘step by step’ guide to using the
basic functions of the RPS virtual networks.
During the tutorial we cover the virtual
network area of the PLB website, including
on-line groups and Local Practice Forum
networks. Also included are several handy
tips that may make using the virtual network
easier for you.
The tutorial is only ten minutes long and can
be accessed at a time to suit you. Please contact
the office if you would like further information
(wales@rpsgb.org / 029 2073 0310). n
Nuala Brennan
Chair of the Welsh
Pharmacy Board
The Faces of Pharmacy
Two Board Members on their future ambitions
Diane Heath
Diane has a general
background in hospital
pharmacy and has specialised
in community health services
where she developed a particular interest in
immunisation, this lead to her being seconded to
the Welsh Assembly Government swine flu team.
“Overtime, I developed an interest in social
care, in particular, how pharmacy can help
individuals retain their independence in medicine
taking, as well as ensuring that health and social
care staff working in all care settings handle
medicines safely.
I am currently the Lead Pharmaceutical
Advisor for Offender Health at the Welsh
Assembly Government and am a long standing
member of the National Committee, Primary &
Community Care Pharmacy Network where I
Don Hughes
Don Hughes has worked
in the Welsh nhS for five
years and until recently was
chair of the Welsh Chief
Pharmacists Committee. He has spent most of
his career working in the hospital service, based
in a number of hospitals in the North West of
England. He currently works as a hospital chief
pharmacist in Ysbty Glan Clwyd, part of the Betsi
Cadwaladr University Health Board.
“I have spent the most part of my career
pursuing my passion for clinical pharmacy and
innovative solutions for improving the clinical
use of medicines. I have been really fortunate to
work in some forward thinking hospitals and with
forward thinking colleagues.
Whilst we are trained as clinical scientists, I
believe we often loose sight of that when we
move into practice. I believe we could do much
better at integrating academia into practice, and
in terms of safety and effectiveness of the clinical
use of medicines, evidence suggests we could
do much better. Patients are often prescribed
and dispensed medicines which at best do little
have held the office of both chair and treasurer.”
If there was one thing you could achieve by the
end of the current WPB’s term, what is it?
“I really want to be actively involved in
the creation and ongoing development of a
Leadership Body whose members are confident
will support, guide and develop them throughout
their entire careers. I want the new Leadership
Body to be something that people are proud to
be a member of.”
What are your ambitions for the future of
pharmacy?
“The profession at the forefront of health
and social care and respected by patients, the
public and the Government alike. I would like to
see the profession continue in its development
and exist in a world where, when medicines
are mentioned, pharmacists and pharmacy
automatically come to mind.”
good and at worst cause significant harm.”
If there was one thing you could achieve by the
end of the current WPB’s term, what is it?
“The advent of new Health Boards in Wales
provide the profession with opportunities for
much better integrated working practices
between different sectors of the profession. I’d
like to see the Welsh Board provide leadership to
support the dynamic changes required during this
great time of potential change.”
What ambitions for pharmacy’s future?
“My brief experience of community pharmacy
and my lengthy experience of practice in
hospital pharmacy, along with practice research,
undergraduate and post-graduate teaching
pharmacy have given me a real insight into
the opportunities and threats facing of our
profession. Whilst we claim to be the profession
who are experts in the use of medicines, we
know that there is considerable wastage
and harm with medicines, much of which is
preventable. I would like to see pharmacy be the
key profession in delivering quality improvement,
change and innovation with the way medicines
are used to provide better care.” n
16 Pharmacy Professional | July/August 2010
July/August 2010 | Pharmacy Professional
17