Inside Tomorrow's Pharmacist (2003)

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Foreword

Foreword by Marshall Davies

The way in which health care is provided in Great Britain is going through its most significant change since the National Health Service was formed over 50 years ago and you, who are the future of pharmacy, have opportunities to develop and shape your careers as never before. Our profession has an important role to play in helping to ensure that the NHS of the future provides a service where patients receive the best care available.

The world that the Society operates within has changed dramatically. Pharmacists are taking on new clinical responsibilities such as medicines management and prescribing. Increasingly, patients and clients are taking a consumerist approach, questioning and challenging professional opinion. In this modern age, health professions are increasingly being asked to justify the faith that patients place in them.

The Society has embarked on the road to change to ensure that pharmacy has a modern, effective and efficient regulatory and professional body, committed to quality and improvement, and to meeting its responsibilities to the public and the profession. This is an essential component of a sustainable, rewarding future for pharmacy. It must satisfy the needs of patients and provide a contribution to future health care development.

Our aim is to produce a Society which is a world class regulator and professional body for pharmacy. The confidence of the public will then be safeguarded, and the recognition of pharmacists increased and improved.

The government's plans to modernise the NHS point to a changing but nonetheless essential role for pharmacy. The Society will support and help its members through this change as part of its work in the public interest.

As pharmacists, you will need to be able to communicate effectively. Not only with your peers and other health professionals but, most importantly, with those who use the services you provide. Traditional barriers are being broken down and working and learning together, both professionally and interprofessionally, are key to achieving the best care and service for patients.

The new health service demands higher standards and greater accountability from all those who work within it — your commitment to pharmacy and to learning throughout your professional life will be essential to deliver this. The science underpinning your degree will give you the flexibility to move in a variety of directions, allowing you to make a unique contribution wherever you choose to work.

I hope you enjoy your degree and preregistration year and look forward to welcoming you into the profession.