NEWS PROFESSOR CATHY HARRISON APPOINTED AS RPS FELLOW


Chief pharmaceutical officer (CPhO) for Northern Ireland Professor Cathy Harrison has been designated as a fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).


Professor Harrison is among 28 new fellows of the RPS for Distinction in the Profession of Pharmacy. The fellowship recognises the distinction members have attained in a particular aspect or aspects of their pharmacy career and are based on nominations from members.


Professor Harrison received the award in recognition of her ‘very significant leadership and sustained contribution to the development of pharmacy practice in Northern Ireland and beyond’, the Department of Health in Northern Ireland said.


Professor Harrison said: ‘I am proud to be a member of the RPS and have greatly valued the professional support they have provided to me throughout my career.


‘At a time of change and new beginnings in pharmacy professional leadership across the UK, I am humbled to have received this accolade and grateful to colleagues who have supported me throughout my career.’


She offered her ‘continued best wishes’ as the RPS works to transition into a Royal College of Pharmacy, of which Professor Harrison said would ‘strengthen the voice of pharmacy in healthcare transformation and maximise the contribution of the pharmacy profession to patient care’.


Welcoming the announcement, minister for health in Northern Ireland Mike Nesbitt said that Professor Harrison’s work had ‘shaped’ key strategies and services within health and care services in the country.


This included the Medicines Optimisation Quality Framework (MOQF), a Pharmacy Workforce Review and the rollout of general practice pharmacists as part of the multidisciplinary team.


Cathy Harrison


He commented, ‘This award is a well-deserved acknowledgement of the outstanding leadership that Professor Cathy Harrison has provided as my senior professional advisor on pharmaceutical and medicines issues, as well as to the Health and Social Care and wider pharmacy profession.’


FOYLE HOSPICE PILOT IMPROVES ACCESS TO PALLIATIVE MEDICINES


A six-month pilot at Foyle Hospice has shown that giving specialist palliative care doctors and nurses the authority to prescribe medicines directly can speed up access to symptom relief and ease pressure on GPs.


The “pathfinder” programme, which ran from September 2024 to March 2025, allowed hospice prescribers to issue HS21 prescriptions that were then dispensed by local community pharmacies.


Early results indicate: • Faster access to medicines for patients approaching the end of life


• Reduced calls to GP surgeries, freeing up capacity during winter pressures


• Greater ability for patients and their families to receive care in the comfort of their own homes


“Timely prescribing has long been a pinch-point in community palliative care,” said Professor Cathy Harrison, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer at the Department of Health. “This pilot demonstrates how novel supply models can close that gap while working within existing resources.”


Before the trial, hospice clinicians had to phone or email a patient’s GP to request prescriptions, causing delays in urgent dose changes. Under the new arrangement, prescriptions are written and sent to a pharmacy immediately after a home visit.


Donall Henderson, Chief Executive of Foyle Hospice, said the approach “reduces duplication of effort and uses the full skill set of specialist palliative care professionals,” adding that most patients would prefer their care to remain in the community whenever possible.


GP representative Dr Donna Mace described the model as “right medicine, right time, right professional,” and praised the reduction in paperwork and callbacks.


The pilot has now been independently evaluated by the Medicines Optimisation Innovation Centre (MOIC). On the back of its positive findings, a


task and finish group will recommend a phased roll out of HS21 prescribing across all hospice settings in Northern Ireland.


Next steps • Final evaluation report is due later this summer • Department of Health is to consider a region wide adoption ahead of winter 2025–26


• Ongoing monitoring of patient outcomes, GP workload and pharmacy supply chains


If adopted, the scheme could become a template for other community-based prescribing initiatives aimed at keeping patients out of hospital and in familiar surroundings at the end of life.


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