UK commission on pharmacy professional leadership established

The NHS has established a UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership aiming to produce recommendations for the ‘purpose and functions of future pharmacy professional leadership’.

The Commission, announced on Tuesday (7 June), will be co-chaired by Nigel Clarke, former chair of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), and Professor Jane Dacre, professor of medical education at University College London medical school.

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It will meet up to four times during 2022 and aim to report by the end of the year, with pharmacy professionals encouraged to take part in deliberations, the NHS announced.

The conversation will also involve patients and other healthcare professionals, and seek to determine how pharmacy professional leadership can be strengthened to support practising professionals, professional regulation and pharmacy professional representation, it added.

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In a letter addressed to registered pharmacy professionals announcing the Commision, the co-chairs argued that ‘professional leadership has never been so important’ amid changes to the sector.

It said these changes will include:

• Expanding clinical roles and greater professional autonomy for pharmacy professionals in the NHS.
• New initial education and training standards for pharmacists, which mean they will be independent prescribers from day one of registration from 2026.
• Regulatory and legislative changes that will impact on pharmacy professional practice.
• The potential of legislative changes to increase the contributions of pharmacy technicians to patient care and service delivery.
• The development and impact of data and technology on the delivery of health care.

The letter added: ‘There are significant changes impacting on the pharmacist and pharmacy technician professions and we need to ensure the professions are well equipped, with a voice to help shape the future, and enabled to develop through sharing and learning from best practice.’

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It was also signed by Andrew Evans, chief pharmaceutical officer for Wales; Cathy Harrison, chief pharmaceutical officer for Northern Ireland; Alison Strath, chief pharmaceutical officer for Scotland; and David Webb, chief pharmaceutical officer for England.