This news story was published when the organisation was the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. 

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The crucial role pharmacists play in mental health care was discussed at the recent Plaid Cymru Autumn Conference.

During a main stage panel hosted by the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Wales, RPS Wales Director Elen Jones emphasised how pharmacists across all sectors are supporting individuals with mental health challenges.

The panel, chaired by Plaid Cymru’s Health Spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, also featured newly elected Ynys Môn MP Llinos Medi, Ollie John, National Manager of RCPsych in Wales, and Dr. Katie Fergus, Consultant Rehabilitation Psychiatrist at Cardiff & Vale University Health Board.

Several important points on pharmacy’s role were made by Elen during the discussion, such as:

• The accessibility and strong relationships community pharmacy teams have with their patients, enabling them to identify potential signs of poor mental health and encourage patients to access further support.
• The vital role community pharmacies and primary care pharmacists play in providing mental health support, including bilingual posters created by RPS member Anna Mathews, which detail available mental health resources across Wales.
• The crucial role specialist mental health pharmacists play as a part of multidisciplinary mental health teams, ensuring patients can benefit from personalised, safe, and effective medication regimens.
• The need for a consistent approach across Wales for specialist mental health pharmacy, with more opportunities for pharmacy technicians and at consultant level for pharmacists, which are already in some Health Boards.
• The critical importance of offering mental health care in Welsh for those who speak it as their first language and the excellent opportunities being developed at undergraduate level for bilingual healthcare learning through the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol.

After the session, Elen commented:

“Pharmacists across Wales play a vital role in supporting mental health. It was a privilege to share this with politicians and delegates at the Plaid Cymru Conference, and to highlight that patients should benefit from pharmacists’ medicines expertise consistently across the country.”

“I’m grateful to the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Wales for inviting me to provide a pharmacy perspective on the panel. It’s always a pleasure working with Ollie, Katie and the team. We’re looking forward to an upcoming Senedd briefing in collaboration with them and other royal colleges/professional bodies in November, where we’ll discuss the diverse roles of the mental health multidisciplinary team.”

Read more on the role of pharmacy in mental health and wellbeing.

Read more RCPharm news stories.