neW DIrecTOr FOr


rPS In ScOTLanD cLare MOrrISOn MBe, FrPharMS haS TaKen uP POST aS DIrecTOr OF rOyaL PharMaceuTIcaL SOcIeTy (rPS) In ScOTLanD, FOLLOWIng The reTIreMenT OF aLex MacKInnOn.


c


lare, who took up the post just over a month ago, is responsible for national policy development, professional advocacy and member engagement across Scotland, in partnership with the Scottish Pharmacy Board, and joins rPS from her position as national near Me Lead at the Scottish government.


Prior to this, clare worked for nhS highland, where she developed a number of pharmaceutical care and medicines safety initiatives that have been spread across Scotland, including leading the Scottish Patient Safety Programme’s pharmacy pilot in highland.


clare’s career began when she studied pharmacy at the university of London, before completing post- graduate qualifications - including independent prescribing - at robert gordon university.


‘I’ve certainly had a very diverse career,’ clare told SP. ‘I had always wanted to be a community pharmacist and have enjoyed long periods working in community, but early on in my career I worked at Pharmaceutical Journal and this gave me a greater understanding of the different pharmacy roles across the united Kingdom. as a result, I became more interested in extending my career into service development.’


clare initially worked in community pharmacy in London and Kent, before moving to caithness. In moving to Scotland she completed both her independent and supplementary prescribing qualifications and began working with local gP practices to develop services in primary care and community pharmacy.


‘I increasingly recognised that there was a huge role for community pharmacy with regard to prescribing


18 - ScOTTISh PharMacIST


services,’ clare continues, ‘and so following my work in caithness, I began working for nhS highland, becoming involved in quality improvement as a whole. I began looking at using video consulting to develop pharmacy services in remote areas where there was no community pharmacy, but where patients could definitely benefit from access to pharmacists’ expertise on medicines.’


clare’s work with video consulting led to her establishing Pharmacy anywhere, an initiative which involved pharmacists carrying out medicines reviews for patients virtually, and this proved to be so successful that she was asked to apply the learning to all health professionals across nhS highland.


Pharmacy anywhere developed into the national near Me programme, which was recently rolled out across all health Boards and again involves all health professionals consulting with patients using video technology (using the attend anywhere platform).


In 2017, clare was made a Fellow of the royal Pharmaceutical Society and was awarded an MBe for services to healthcare in 2018. She is also a Scottish Quality & Safety Fellow and a graduate of the uS-based Intermountain advanced Training Program in health care improvement.


needless to say, clare’s new role has filled her with a frisson of excitement as to what lies ahead for both herself and the profession, and she is more than looking forward to the challenges that the future will bring – particularly in these current, cOVID- fraught times.


‘I’ve only been in post for five weeks,’ clare told SP, ‘but my key priority has been to focus on establishing excellent lines of communication with all involved in the profession across Scotland.


Clare Morrison


‘I’ve begun by working on building relationships with the Scottish Pharmacy Board – the elected representatives of rPS and have also been in contact with all of the other pharmacy bodies. I’m working on not only having really good relationships with my pharmacy colleagues, but also engaging with all pharmacists in Scotland. I want to encourage pharmacists to pick up the phone to discuss any issues that they may have.


‘I also want pharmacists who are not rPS members to tell me how we can support them going forward.


‘Obviously one of the key challenges for us all is the effect of cOVID-19 on community pharmacy and so it is essential that the rPS continues to support members with resources, guidance and lobbying for the issues facing pharmacists..


‘I have to say that I am absolutely delighted to be joining rPS as Director for Scotland, and to build on the great work of alex and the rPS team in edinburgh. I believe now, more than ever, that pharmacy has an exciting future and I want to ensure that rPS is at the centre of pharmacy in Scotland.


‘It’s so important that pharmacy has a strong professional body to drive pharmacy forward. I have been a member of rPS my entire career and I believe that my new role is the most


exciting one in pharmacy in Scotland. I do not underestimate the privilege that I have been given in taking up this post and I am proud to be part of achieving the rPS mission of putting pharmacy at the forefront of healthcare.


‘I am really looking forward to being part of rPS, working with other professional and patient


organisations, and most importantly, with every pharmacy team across Scotland to realise the opportunities the future holds.’


Warm welcome from rPS chief


‘clare brings extensive experience of working in partnership with a wide variety of organisations across different sectors of pharmacy and the nhS in Scotland,’ says rPS chief executive, Paul Bennett. ‘She has worked at both national and international level and I’m delighted she’s joining us to ensure we are in a strong position to deliver on behalf of members, the profession and patients. reporting directly to robbie Turner, Director of Pharmacy and Member experience, clare will work closely with our existing Directors for england and Wales to make sure local health policy is influenced, shaped and joined up across gB where appropriate.’


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48