school

President of
PSI re-elected
by Council
Pictured receiving the Crystal Clear Award is pharmacist Fergus Nugent, with
Amy O’Shea, MSD, at Sam McCauley Chemist, Mahon Point, Cork.
Sam McCauley
Chemists awarded
Crystal Clear Mark
Sam McCauley Chemists in Tralee, Co Kerry, and Mahon
Point and Douglas, Co. Cork, have been awarded the Crystal
Clear Mark, Ireland’s first health literacy quality mark. The
programme recognises the critical role pharmacies play in
helping patients understand their health issues and the steps
they can take to improve their health. It has been developed by
MSD and the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA).
To be awarded the Crystal Clear Mark, the pharmacies had
to complete an online audit and submit evidence to show how
their pharmacy was health literacy friendly. The audit was then
assessed by NALA who concluded that the pharmacies qualified
for the quality mark.
Pharmacies that wish to participate in the Crystal Clear
Programme can log on to www.nala.ie/crystalclear to complete
the online audit. This will identify what they are already doing
to support the literacy and numeracy needs of their patients
and what they could do better. Those who are successful in
completing this audit can then apply for the Crystal Clear Mark.
The Crystal Clear Pharmacy Programme is a joint initiative
between MSD and NALA.
Amy O’Shea, MSD,
presents the Crystal Clear
Award to pharmacist Luke
O’Shea at Sam McCauley
Chemist, Tralee, Co. Kerry.
The Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland
(PSI) has re-elected Dr Ann Frankish (pictured below) as
President. Rory O’Donnell has been elected as the new
Vice-President of the Council.
Ann was initially elected President of the PSI Council
in June 2015 and will now serve a further one-year
term. She has also previously served as Vice-President
and has been a member of the Council for many years.
Ann has had a long career in pharmacy, in a variety
of settings, with 26 years as Chief Pharmacist in the
Rotunda Hospital, Dublin. She has more recently taken
up a role in the pharmaceutical industry.
Rory O’Donnell is a community pharmacist with a
pharmacy in Gweedore, Co. Donegal. He qualified in
pharmacy from Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen,
and holds a Science degree from Trinity College
Dublin, as well as a diploma in Diabetes Management.
He has undertaken professional development with
the Irish Management Institute and the Institute of
Directors in Ireland. He served as President of the
Irish Pharmacy Union from 2012-2014 and recently
completed a term as President of the Pharmacy
Benevolent Fund. He is currently Chairman of hmR
Ireland. Rory was appointed to the PSI Council in 2015.
Both commence their respective roles immediately
and will continue, with the Council, to oversee
substantial projects for the remainder of 2016,
including the development of the requisite training
standards and supports to facilitate pharmacists
in the delivery of new vaccination services and
the provision of emergency medicines under new
legislation; the output of research from the Future
Pharmacy Practice Project, considering a cost-effective
and beneficial direction for the future of pharmacy
in the interest of both patients and the health
service; the roll out of a self-assessment system for
pharmacies as part of a changing inspection policy;
and the publication
of a Patient Charter
to create greater
understanding of the
role of pharmacists
and what patients
can expect from
them.
IPUREVIEW AUGUST 2016 57