Pharmacists need to protect their professionalism as pressures increase, says chair of Royal Pharmaceutical Society Scotland

Speaking at the annual Pharmacy Management Forum on 24 August, RPS Scottish Pharmacy board chair, John McAnaw, urged pharmacists to focus on their professionalism. 

John McAnaw

“Pharmacists need to focus on safeguarding their professionalism and the services they can provide” was the message from Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Scottish Pharmacy board chair John McAnaw in a speech to the annual Pharmacy Management Forum in Dunblane, Scotland, on 24 August 2016.

In his keynote speech at the forum, which looked at the role of pharmacy in improving clinical decision making, he highlighted that pharmacists in Scotland have a fundamental role to play in driving a more integrated approach to patient care in local areas. However, he emphasised that they will require the right support and working environment in order to fulfil their professional duties effectively. McAnaw also touched on pharmacists’ role in delivering the Scottish government’s concept of ‘Realistic medicine’, which aims to increase shared decision-making and personalised care, reduce waste and unnecessary variation in practice, manage risk better and increase innovation.

“A pharmacist’s training, expertise and specialist knowledge can improve patient care,” he says. “Working with other health and social care colleagues, pharmacists will ensure people get the right medicine, at the right dose and at the right time to achieve the best response from treatment.”

In its manifesto, released in January 2016, RPS Scotland called for protected learning time for all pharmacists and appropriate resourcing of new and extended roles in order to support the continued professional development of the pharmacy workforce in Scotland.

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Citation
The Pharmaceutical Journal, Pharmacists need to protect their professionalism as pressures increase, says chair of Royal Pharmaceutical Society Scotland;Online:DOI:10.1211/PJ.2016.20201627

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