Tribute: Islwyn (Lyn) Owen

I worked with Lyn for all of his years at the Royal London Hospital. He was principal pharmacist in quality assurance (QA) for most of that period, until 1994. He was such an asset to the department as he combined his knowledge and understanding of quality with a true awareness of patients and their needs. He did this both in the day-to-day running of the QA department, when it was essential to get the prepared pharmaceutical out to the patient, and in a much wider way looking at the quality of service to staff and patients. Lyn was also the pharmacist who raised with me (his manager) the issue of health and safety in the use of medicines well before it was fully recognised.

Although Lyn was best known in his QA role, he was also an excellent cardiac pharmacist. He was the clinical pharmacist on the cardiac ward (helping greatly with the training of pharmacists in this speciality) and was one of the earliest pharmacists to be involved in setting up the cardiac rehabilitation courses for patients.

Lyn was widely appreciated by other pharmacy staff of all grades for his support, not just in the fields of quality and cardiac medicine, but also as an experienced professional who helped younger staff to make decisions in various circumstances. He was always there to offer advice when asked. He was an unofficial mentor to many and would always find time for them.

Lyn was the centre of much of the social life of the department and this frequently involved visits to the local pubs in Whitechapel. He was a much-loved, modest, and calm gentleman who managed to combine mischievousness with professionalism. He is greatly missed.

Last updated
Citation
The Pharmaceutical Journal, PJ, November 2019, Vol 303, No 7931;303(7931)::DOI:10.1211/PJ.2019.20207093

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