Margaret MacRury has stepped down as Rowlands’ superintendent director, it was announced last week (28 January). 

Ms MacRury will leave her post next month after 10 years in the role next, Rowlands has said.  

From February, Ms MacRury will take up her new role – still at Rowlands - as strategic advisor for regulatory affairs Scotland, which will focus on the pharmacy contract developments taking place in Scotland. 

Stephen Thomas, who currently works as Ms MacRury’s deputy, will take up the post of superintendent in February. 

Mr Thomas has worked with Rowlands for nearly 18 years, working side-by-side with Ms MacRury for the past decade. 

Ms MacRury said that she had ‘hugely’ enjoyed her time at Rowlands and said she had seen the business ‘grow from strength to strength introducing new initiatives to improve patient care’. 

She also said she was ‘immensely proud of our Superintendents team who do outstanding work every day. I know Stephen will continue that commitment to protecting patients and promoting the pharmacy sector’. 

Reflecting on her time as superintendent director, Ms MacRury said she had seen the pharmacy sector ‘increasingly being recognised as a critical part of the NHS “family” providing essential access to much-needed healthcare support and advice alongside dispensing. These are exciting times which Stephen will take forward’. 

Commenting on her new role, Ms MacRury said: ‘I believe that the Scottish Government understands the unique value of community pharmacy in delivering improved healthcare outcomes. Going forward, I will continue to play my part, alongside Stephen, in promoting community pharmacy not just in Scotland, but throughout Great Britain.’ 

On acquiring the new role, Mr Thomas stated: ‘Our sector faces many challenges, but also new opportunities. Community pharmacy is the third pillar of our national healthcare service alongside GP surgeries and hospitals. With fair and sustainable funding can, and does, transform lives. 

‘Phoenix [Rowland’s parent company] will continue to pioneer innovative healthcare provision such as bricks & clicks, blending physical and digital services, whilst at all times putting the patient at the heart of what we do.’ 

In June, Nigel Swift, a board director at the multiple Well Pharmacy, was appointed Rowlands pharmacy’s new managing director, following Mark Bather’s retirement announcement. 

Earlier this year, Phoenix UK, announced it had bought online prescription service Co-op Health and said it planned to ‘take it to the next level’ through its Numark and Rowlands network.