Letters

Letter

Professional integrity is critical to the RPS’s survival

For decades we have bemoaned the perception of our professional standing and influence relative to others, yet we have failed to understand some of the crucial drivers to resolve this. Look around you. Successful organisations are obsessively focussed on satisfying the needs of their customers. I…

Published: 10 May 2024

Letter

Pharmacy must embrace the power of unity

Reflecting on my experience as a local branch careers officer for the RPSGB, as it once was in my earlier career, I developed a strong commitment to serving my professional leadership body, and I played a pivotal role in supporting the Local Pharmacy Forums during the launch of the Pharmacy Faculty.…

Published: 10 May 2024

Letter

Whose job was that?

It started with a new millennium graduation, a few BPharm to MPharm hiccups along the way A natural flow into community reflecting my corner shop a stereotypical Patel Pharmacy but not a pharmacist Not inspired for my future, who’s job was that Somewhat disconnected from leadership, wi…

Published: 10 May 2024

Letter

Focusing on prescribing and championing sustainability

I had just been elected president in 2021 when I gave an interview to The PJ, 'What you see is what you get with me'. I am proud of what the RPS has achieved since then. It has been an honour to be president of RPS and member of the English Pharmacy Board at this time of unprecedented change. …

Published: 10 May 2024

Letter

Pharmacy is uniquely placed to tackle climate change

There is a climate emergency, and our profession is linked to 25% of the NHS’s carbon emissions — medicines. That’s 5% of the total UK carbon footprint, yet medicines are the most common intervention in our healthcare system. The RPS officially recognised the scale of this problem in 2021 a…

Published: 10 May 2024

Letter

The RPS needs someone unafraid to put their head above the parapet

Pharmacy cuts, lowering pharmacists’ wages, remote supervision and corporate employer forced targets threaten Pharmacy’s future and the safety of our patients. The RPS Boards need someone with a strong voice, someone who can influence what is happening and is not afraid to put their head abov…

Published: 10 May 2024

Letter

A fractured profession

Pharmacy is divided. This is true stretching back across my career and I safely assume before this. My first experiences of this were in university and it became obvious very early there were distinct boundaries and potential tension based on sector and setting of practice. As the profession has …

Published: 10 May 2024

Letter

The profile of pharmacy

Pharmacy is everything to me, so why can’t others see that? The roles we undertake are essential and drive forward patient care and our health service on a daily basis, yet we are nowhere near that potential, why? To me, there is a basic answer to this question and it stems from the profile of …

Published: 10 May 2024

Letter

Why are dentists called doctors?

I have recently been reflecting on the feeling of value and respect. While pharmacists provide vital patient care, our contributions are often overlooked. In order to feel valued and respected and fully acknowledge our significant role within healthcare, it is necessary to bridge gaps in public unde…

Published: 10 May 2024

Letter

Insights from the Norwegian pharmacy regulatory body

As a pharmacist who was born and grew up in Norway, I have observed that pharmacists in Norway are more valued and respected compared to our colleagues in England. We can examine the reasons behind this and learn from them so that we can improve working conditions of pharmacists in England. One m…

Published: 10 May 2024