RPS NEWS


ROYAL PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY SCOTLAND ROUND-UP SCOTTISH PHARMACISTS HAVE VITAL


ROLE IN MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT


Alex MacKinnon FRPharmS, Director for Scotland, and Aileen Bryson MRPharmS, Deputy Director for Scotland, have announced that they will be retiring later this year. Aileen will leave RPS in April, with Alex due to leave in the summer.


Alex has been Director for Scotland since 2010 and served as interim CEO of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society during 2017.


RPS in Scotland has called for an exploration of new models of care which enable pharmacists to better support people with their mental health. At a national roundtable event held in its Edinburgh office, policymakers, politicians and practitioners met with leading community pharmacists to discuss how pharmacists could play a greater role in the provision of mental health services.


Participants heard from pharmacists across Scotland about their current role and how it could be developed to further benefit patients.


Pharmacists play an important role in their community, providing patients with advice on their medication; spotting the early signs of mental health conditions; and in places form part of a network of interdisciplinary medical teams. However, patients could benefit even more if the role of pharmacists was better recognised and their contributions integrated within primary care.


‘Finally, a huge thank you to all the wonderful teams, colleagues, and friends across the years who made my pharmacy journey so enjoyable and rewarding.’


We are working on an RPS in Scotland policy which calls for an exploration of new models of care which enable pharmacists working in all settings to better support patients with mental health conditions with their medicines, with early interventions, monitoring


22 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST 14 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST


‘I would like to recognise and thank Alex for the tremendous contribution he has made to both the RPS and the wider profession over the last ten years as RPS Director for Scotland,’ added RPS Chief Executive Paul Bennett. ‘His dedication to, and passion for, our profession has been evident


‘It has been a distinct privilege being able to fulfil my role as RPS Director for Scotland for what will have been almost a decade,’ Alex said as news of his retirement broke. ‘I have enjoyed a long and wonderful career in pharmacy, so many great colleagues and friends along the way, so many opportunities and challenges to have been involved in. My decision to retire has not been an easy one to make, with the pharmacy agenda as complex and challenging as ever. The professional body needs to be at the forefront of enabling the profession and its membership to maximise the opportunities that still and always will present themselves in the future. However, it really is time for me to retire and I am looking forward to having more time with family, lots of hobbies and of course motorsport! I now look forward to supporting my professional body through the Fellows’ group and the retired pharmacists’ group.


RPS DIRECTOR AND DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR SCOTLAND TO RETIRE


from the very first day I met Alex and will be sorely missed by all of us who have worked closely with him. I would particularly like to pay tribute to his advocacy for the profession at numerous Scottish Parliament engagements, never losing sight that RPS members are at the very centre of the organisation and making their wellbeing and professional advancement his prime concern.


and referrals to specialist services when necessary. Pharmacists could also provide more formal follow-up care to patients and work as part of multidisciplinary teams.


‘Alex will leave a strong legacy in Scotland whilst knowing he departs at a time when his team are focussed on supporting our members and placing our profession at the forefront of healthcare.’


‘We believe that pharmacists are vital to the delivery of the Scottish Government’s Mental Health Strategy,’ said Jonathan Burton, Chair of the RPS Scottish Pharmacy Board, ‘and could play a leading role in multidisciplinary teams. Working in the community, pharmacists see people more often than any other health professional and provide holistic care. There are great examples across the country from universities and rural communities to areas of deprivation where pharmacists are providing much- needed support.


‘As experts in all aspects of medicines, pharmacists are often best placed to review a patient’s overall medication and will take a holistic approach to an individual’s conditions. We can improve the quality of their care by ensuring that they are getting the most benefit from the medicines they are taking and reducing the risk of harm.’


The RPS in Scotland mental health policy will be finalised by the end of the year and will be available on our website: www.rpharms.com


Both Alex and Aileen have been instrumental in developing all sectors of pharmacy practice across Scotland.


‘Pharmacy has given me the gift of a wonderful and varied career,’ said Aileen Bryson. ‘I have enjoyed all the roles I have had across many sectors of pharmacy practice and worked with many colleagues who have inspired me with their vision and passion for the profession.


‘It has been a delight and a privilege to be part of the RPS team over the past nine years and to have worked across Scotland and GB. I started in this role because I firmly believe we need a strong professional body as a voice for pharmacists wherever they are practising and that we still have so much to contribute and offer to healthcare.


‘We have come a long way already and there is still so much to do but the future is looking very optimistic for those starting their careers, but I am now looking forward to more time for home and personal life. I wish all my colleagues all the very best and thank everyone for all the support and encouragement I have had over the years and for making work an absolute pleasure with a lot of fun along the way.’


NEW OFFICE We were delighted to open the doors


of our new home to members in January. Following the first meeting of the Scottish Pharmacy Board at 44 Melville Street, we invited RPS members to join the board and RPS staff for a chance to discuss all things pharmacy and see around the new office.


‘This move is not about a building, or about RPS Scotland,’ said Alex MacKinnon, Director for RPS in


FUTURE OF PRIMARY CARE RPS in Scotland gave oral evidence to the Health and Sport Committee’s inquiry into the future of primary care in Scotland on Tuesday 1 October, alongside Community Pharmacy Scotland, the British Dental Association and Optometry Scotland.


VALUING DIFFERENCE


Jonathan Burton, Chair of the Scottish Pharmacy Board, emphasised the need for transformational change in order to achieve real integration between primary care services. He also highlighted the need for full read and write access to the patient health record as well as raising awareness of the workforce pressures faced by pharmacists across Scotland.


RPS in Scotland also submitted written evidence to the inquiry. Key points from our submission include:


• There is potential for community pharmacies to be public health and healthy living hubs, focusing


Pharmacists work to improve everyone's health. As your professional body, we want to recognise, celebrate and encourage all voices and experiences across pharmacy so we can better represent you and our patients.


ARE YOU STRESSED AT WORK?


In October we launched a new mentoring platform exclusively for members. The scheme connects newer and more experienced pharmacists to benefit each other and the profession.


The new mentoring platform unites pharmacists from all sectors and career stages to share experiences and build professionally supportive relationships.


Newer pharmacist? Find a mentor who can offer impartial help


and guidance to accelerate your development, improve your career


Have you suffered stress, burnout or have lacked support when you have needed it? We've been collecting your experiences about occasions when you feel that there has been a lack of support.


The response has been overwhelming: over a thousand pharmacists responded to our survey. Now we're making the case to government: equal access to support for pharmacists!


NEW MENTORING PLATFORM TO SUPPORT YOU prospects and build self-confidence.


We are now working towards developing a strategy for pharmacy that is inclusive of everyone and values difference. Asif Sadiq MBE is our expert chair. He is helping us to ensure that pharmacy really is a place for everyone, based upon his fifteen years of award-winning experience in diversity and inclusion. He was formerly Head of Diversity and Inclusiveness for EY Financial Services, Head of the Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Unit of the City of London Police, and is currently Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging for The Telegraph. We are delighted to have Asif with us to help build and inform our strategy.


This move is not about a building, or about RPS Scotland. It is about being able to provide a focal point for members and the wider profession. The new office is a home for all RPS staff and members and it is hoped that members will see it as


We're already working with our staff to build an inclusion and diversity programme in-house that champions the diversity of our employees and ensures that everyone feels they belong. We will publish our inclusion and diversity strategy for the pharmacy profession in March 2020.


We are starting to plan some exciting events to celebrate the opening of the new office. Watch out for more details coming soon.


The survey results show how government and the NHS must take steps to retain the current workforce and attract new pharmacists to meet demand. This must include equal support for their health and wellbeing.


For more information and background about this campaign, see our campaign document Supporting the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Pharmacists.


More experienced pharmacist? Use the platform as a way of sharing your knowledge and expertise to give back to the profession and give colleagues of the future a helping hand.


Any RPS member can join the platform as a mentor or mentee. The new mentoring platform then takes your details and begins to look for a match. When one is found, both mentor and mentee can review the suggestion.


RPS IN SCOTLAND GIVES EVIDENCE ON THE


Scotland. ‘It is about being able to provide a focal point for members and the wider profession. The new office is a home for all RPS staff and members, and it is hoped that members will see it as somewhere they can visit and spend time.’ The new address for the team in Scotland is: 44 Melville Street, EH3 7HF, Edinburgh.


on obesity management, lifestyle changes, social prescribing and vaccinations to increase capacity and uptake


You can still get in touch with us by email and phone on 0131 556 4386 and scotinfo@rpharms.com.


• Community pharmacists, GP practice and secondary care colleagues need to work together more closely as well as with the wider multidisciplinary team


Progress so far We have a positive track record of supporting inclusion and diversity but recognise we could do more. We want to ensure we bring everyone with us on that journey.


• Timely sharing of information between pharmacists in hospital, GP practice and community is essential and an important element of keeping people safe as they move with their medicines across health and social care systems


NEW HOME FOR RPS IN SCOTLAND


We’re pleased to announce that after months of renovation, weeks of packing and a busy few days of unpacking, the RPS in Scotland has now officially moved to its new home in Edinburgh’s New Town.


Our programme began when for the first time a group of members and employees walked at Pride in London parade last year, flying the rainbow flag for pharmacists everywhere. We undertook a comprehensive inclusion and diversity survey across the profession to inform meaningful change and ensure we created the strategy with you.


The Committee is continuing its evidence gathering throughout November. You can read our written evidence in full on the Scottish Parliament’s website: www.parliament.scot


somewhere they can visit and spend time.


The new address for the team in Scotland is: 44 Melville Street, EH3 7HF, Edinburgh.


You can still get in touch with us by email and phone on 0131 556 4386 and scotinfo@rpharms.com.


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