Tomorrow's Pharmacist
2007:6-7
January 2007

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Entering a new era

By Hemant Patel

Pharmacy students entering their preregistration year do so at a time of unprecedented change and opportunity for the profession. Pharmacists today have a major role to play in helping the Government improve public access to health care, to help people stay well and out of hospital and for patients to treat their conditions at home.

Pharmacists have long shown that they have the skills and expertise to make a significant contribution to NHS services, improve public health and provide choice. Initiatives such as community-based minor ailment schemes, medicines use reviews and the long awaited introduction of Electronic Transfer of Prescriptions (ETP) are all bringing pharmacists to the forefront of new advances.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is looking ahead to a new era with a programme of work called Pharmacy 2020, a series of consultations designed to identify the challenges and drivers that affect pharmacists’ abilities to fulfil their potential as health care providers. This programme is about removing barriers and identifying good practice in all areas of the profession and using this feedback to develop a strategy to take the profession forward. I have taken a personal interest in Pharmacy 2020 and the preregistration audience is an important one as we seek views on the establishment of a new practice framework and code of ethics.

To maintain our position at the frontline of health care, it is vital that we have bright, committed people to make up tomorrow’s wave of pharmacists, taking advantage of the new opportunities for professional development as they emerge and meeting the challenge by taking pharmacy forward. For example, opportunities like the introduction of pharmacist prescribing are something the Society has lobbied the Government on for many years. Now it is a reality and a perfect example of how, by working closely with a doctor, pharmacists can have a direct impact on their patients’ wellbeing by being completely involved in medication decisions.

Pharmaceutical scientists are now involved in cutting edge research and drug development and discovery. Emerging areas like nanotechnology and gene therapy place pharmacists at the forefront of medicines development. Another opportunity for pharmacists lies in primary care. Here pharmacists have a growing responsibility to help people stay healthy by providing advice on and encouraging healthier lifestyles. Pharmacists are increasingly offering vital expert advice on areas such as nutrition, smoking, sexual health and weight management.

Whether your future lies in community pharmacy, on a hospital ward or in research, there can be no doubt that pharmacy offers a challenging and rewarding career.

As a qualified pharmacist you will become a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the professional and regulatory body for pharmacists. The Society has a leading role to play in helping pharmacists shape the future direction of the pharmacy profession and will help you develop your skills as a pharmacist throughout your working life. The Society-led integration of continuing professional development into the profession is testament to this. Like the profession itself, the Society is also changing and developing. We will soon see the introduction of new National Pharmacy Boards in England, Scotland and Wales that will help to ensure the Society’s strategic objectives and policies are aligned with the specific needs of pharmacists and patients in those three devolved countries.

Whichever pharmacy path you choose to follow, I wish you every success for the future.

Hemant Patel