Aberdeenshire East MSP hosts event highlighting future for pharmacy
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Aberdeenshire East MSP Gillian Martin hosted a parliamentary reception to highlight a new professional vision for pharmacy in Scotland.
Pharmacy 2030: A vision for the future of pharmacy was held at Holyrood to raise awareness.
The document was jointly published in February this year by pharmacy’s professional leadership body, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, and National Pharmacy Technician Group Scotland.
Pharmacy 2030 describes a future in which teams will work together, using their expertise to make the best use of medicines.
They will take a person-centred approach, providing care holistically rather than by clinical condition.
The reception, which was hosted by Ms Martin, convener of the health, social care and sport committee, brought together MSPs, ministers, civil servants, healthcare professionals and representatives from across health and social care, to celebrate the publication of the new vision and to begin discussing the steps which need to be taken to make it a reality.
MSP Maree Todd, Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport, who worked as a pharmacist before becoming a MSP, provided a speech at the event.
Chief pharmaceutical officer for Scotland, Alison Strath, and national clinical director, Jason Leitch, were also in attendance.
Ms Martin said: “It was a huge pleasure to be able to host this really positive event on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
"As chair of the health, social care and sport committee, I understand the important contribution which pharmacy teams make to improving the healthcare outcomes of our constituents every single day.
“Pharmacy 2030 is an outstanding vision statement which looks to the future. It was wonderful to hear so many examples this evening, particularly from patients, of how pharmacists are already achieving so much right now.
"By implementing the ideas from Pharmacy 2030 in full, ultimately pharmacists will be even better utilised to enhance patient care, experience and safety.”
Director for Scotland at Royal Pharmaceutical Society Clare Morrison said: “It was fantastic to bring together pharmacists, parliamentarians and partners from across Government and healthcare to celebrate publication of Pharmacy 2030, and to begin discussing how to make the ideas within the vision a reality.
"It was particularly pleasing to have the convener of the health, social care and sport committee, Gillian Martin, hosting our event and the Minister for Public Health, Women’s Health and Sport, Maree Todd, providing a speech.
"I’d like to thank them both for their support for pharmacy and to raise awareness of Pharmacy 2030.
“Now we’ve brought everyone together, the hard work to implement the vision must begin. Royal Pharmaceutical Society looks forward to working with all our partners across parliament, government and health and social care to make this vision a reality, which we believe will be transformational for patient care in Scotland.”
To read the vision in full visit www.rpharms.com/pharmacy2030
