Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales

Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales

Published: 14 April 2026

The 2030 Vision for Wales

Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales (P:DaHw) is the 2030 vision for pharmacy in Wales. Launched in 2019, the vision sets long-term ambitions for how patients will benefit from the expertise of pharmacy teams by 2030. It also includes a number of interim three-year goals that act as stepping-stones toward the vision.

The 2025 goal document is a supplementary document, building on the achievements of the first three years and setting new short-term goals to be achieved to keep the profession on track to achieve the overarching vision. 

Over 400 members of the pharmacy team in Wales contributed to the creation of the vision. These plans were developed on behalf of the profession through The Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee, with project management leadership provided by RCPharm Wales. Going forward from 2023, RCPharm Wales will provide administrative support for the delivery board responsible for driving forward the vision.

Read summaries of the plans:

Download plan summaries for 2025, 2028, and 2030.

Executive summary

Delivering the vision
June 2017
 
The first call for a new long-term strategy

As part of the Senedd’s Public Account Committee Inquiry into Medicines Management, in our evidence to the committee RCPharm calls for a new long-term strategy for pharmacy to be in place. This would replace the previous strategy drafted by RCPharm, Your Care, Your Medicines; after all its aims had been achieved.
March 2018Senedd Committee publishes report

Following consideration of evidence, the Public Accounts Committee publishes its report on Medicines Management which included a recommendation for:
“the Welsh government sets out a plan to maximise the use of pharmacy resource, including developing the modules for delivery in choose pharmacy and enabling independent pharmacists. This plan should build on the recommendations in the Royal College of Pharmacy report.
May 2018RCPharm given key role to develop plan

Responding to the Welsh government request, the Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee asks RCPharm Wales to project manage and author a 10-year vision for the profession.
September 2018Senedd Committee publishes report

Following consideration of evidence, the Public Accounts Committee publishes its report on Medicines Management, which included a recommendation for:
“the Welsh government sets out a plan to maximise the use of pharmacy resource, including developing the modules for delivery in choose pharmacy and enabling independent pharmacists. This plan should build on the recommendations in the Royal College of Pharmacy report.
October 2018 – March 2019Delivery Board established

The Welsh government establishes a Delivery Board that will support the implementation of the vision’s goals.
May 2019
Draft plan submitted to the Welsh government

Following approval by the Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee, the final RCPharm-drafted plan is submitted to the Minister for Health and Social Care.
July 2020
Working towards the 2025 goals

Work is now underway to achieve the new 2025 goals, with RCPharm Wales now also taking over the administration and direction of the Delivery Board.
2020-2023
3 years of progress

Despite the pandemic, huge strides are taken to drive forward the profession towards its 2030 vision. Find out more [Link to new page on progress]
June 2022
RCPharm asked to develop new goals for 2025

With the timeline for the first set of goals to 2022 nearing an end, the Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee and Welsh government again asks RCPharm to project manage engagement and author new 3 year goals to 2025.
July 2022 – September 2022
Engagement on new 3 year goals

Over a 3 month period, RCPharm Wales engages with the profession for views on priorities for the profession until 2025 through a number of focus groups and an open consultation.
October 2022
Welsh government ‘go-ahead’

The Welsh government accepts the recommendation, stating;
“We will ask the Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee to work with stakeholders, including the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, to develop a plan describing the future roles of pharmacy professionals in Wales and the steps to be taken by all stakeholders to maximise their use”.
February 2023Working towards the 2025 goals

Work is now underway to achieve the new 2025 goals with RCPharm Wales now also taking over administration and direction of the Delivery Board.
Delivery Board

The Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales Delivery Board provides strategic oversight of the programme, and it’s four central themes.  Importantly, the Board provides a challenge to all parts of the profession on its progress towards achieving the vision’s objectives.

Membership of the Delivery Board includes appointed representatives across the pharmacy profession, including both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

The Board also includes bodies representing the pharmacy profession in Wales, including the Royal College of Pharmacy and Community Pharmacy Wales, as well as key organisations such as Health Education and Improvement Wales and the Digital Health and Care Wales.

Meet the board

Dr Chris Martin OBE MStJ DL FRPharmS DLitt (Chair)

Chris is Chairman of Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales Delivery Group and brings extensive experience supporting transformational change and innovation adoption through his senior leadership roles across private, public, charitable and voluntary sectors.

As a qualified Pharmacist, Chris’s journey started with an honours degree in Pharmacy from Cardiff University. He then went on to establish two independent community pharmacy chains in the West Country and Pembrokeshire.

He has a deep understanding of healthcare in Wales, having chaired four separate health organisations over two decades. These included Hywel Dda University Health Board alongside the Welsh NHS Confederation and coordinating Chair of all health organisations in Wales.

Chris currently chairs the Life Science Hub Wales and is a Non-Exec advisor with Alliance Healthcare along with being a corresponding Bevan Commissioner. He also serves as a member of the Health and Care Research Wales Advisory Board, Chair of the Haverfordwest Swimming Pool Trustee Board and Vice President of the Dyfed St John Council.

His drive to improve services and in particular end of life and palliative care shines through as he served for over 7 years as a trustee of Marie Curie UK and Chair of the Wales Advisory Board for Marie Curie Cymru.

Recognitions include a fellowship from the Royal College of Pharmacy of Great Britain and an Honorary Doctorate from Swansea University for his vital contributions to community pharmacy and public life in Wales. 

He is a Deputy Lieutenant of Dyfed and a member of the King’s Award for Enterprise (Sustainable Development) Judging Panel. 

In the King’s New Year’s Honours list 2025 he was awarded the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for distinguished service to the Maritime and Port sector having been the Chair of the Port of Milford Haven for 12 years. He was also admitted as a member of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem, priory for Wales in February 2025. Later this year he is being made a Burgess of the Gild of Freeman of Haverfordwest for being a ‘person of repute who has rendered outstanding service to the Town’.

Stephanie Hough

I am a Senior Pharmacy Technician at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. During my career over the last 20 years I have worked in various different roles within primary care, secondary care and community pharmacy. Currently, I’m responsible for the pharmacy service in the community hospitals in the Central area of BCUHB, I work within a team whose vision is to improve the standard of care delivered to patients by creating and recognising efficiencies.

I’m passionate about exploring and implementing innovative ways of working, which aligns with staff and service development, hence why I sit on the “Developing the Workforce” subgroup for P:DaHW. I strongly believe that developing Pharmacy Technicians and Pharmacy Assistants by securing them access to appropriate education and training is integral to delivering on the wider pharmacy goals.

Brian Moon

After my retirement from the Welsh Assembly where I advised on ICT, which included Health Informatics, I have been a Board member of Community Health Councils Wales (CHC) which was patients’ advocate in the local delivery of Health services. Currently, I am a team inspector with responsibility for patient perspective with Health Inspection Wales (HIW). I am also work with Health Education in Wales (HEIW) as a lay representative involved with competency reviews and service recruitment of health professionals.

I am passionate about the delivery of Health services in Wales and the engagement of the public in their delivery, with a particular interest in care of the elderly, and I am looking forward to being part of the team delivering better Pharmacy services. I retired from the Welsh Assembly Government, where I had responsibility for ICT advice in Public Service Organisations across Wales. Subsequently, I was Chair of the Community Health Council (CHC) for Bridgend, Neath and Swansea and as such I served on the National CHC Board for Wales where supersede CHC’s by covering both Health and Social Care. I am currently a Lay Member of Health Education in Wales (HEW) — my tenure ends April 2022 – and on the Board of the Welsh Assemblies Pharmacy Delivery Board, currently developing strategy for the role of Community Pharmacies in Wales.

I am applying for the role of a Non-Executive Board Member on either a two-, three- or four-year term.

Gareth Tyrrell

I am currently the Head of Pharmacy Technical Services for NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership & National Clinical Lead for Transforming Access to Medicines, whilst also a non-executive board member for Pharmacy Delivering a Healthier Wales in the Innovation and Technology subgroup.

My career has included various clinical lead roles in critical care, surgery and pain management, as well as extensive experience in Pharmacy Technical Services. During this time, I have also completed post-graduate qualifications in Clinical Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Technology & Quality Assurance and NHS Leadership & Management.

I have a passion for innovation, research and development across interfaces of care that result in improved service delivery and the patient experience.

Natalie Proctor

I trained in Secondary Care and completed my IP qualification whilst working in unscheduled care at NHS England. I became one of the first pharmacists recruited to the Welsh Clinical Leadership Fellow programme in 2019-20 and am now on secondment to the Welsh Government as Head of Pharmacy & Prescribing, leading on P:DaHW.

I want as many people as possible in the pharmacy profession to know about P:DaHW and help them understand why we want to deliver the Vision. I want P:DaHW to inspire people to be good at what they do and encourage them to lead the way for the new generation of pharmacists and technicians across Wales.

Owain Brooks

As Lead Pharmacist for Kidney Services across South West Wales, Owain provides strategic leadership for the region’s Renal Medicines Service, ensuring high standards of care. He champions patient-centred and innovative approaches to healthcare, and as an independent prescriber delivers specialist, tailored treatment for people living with kidney disease.

Owain serves as a national clinical lead for the Welsh Kidney Network, where he oversees patient and public education and drives pharmacy-led innovation, with a focus on the optimal management of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) and Acute Kidney Injury (AKI).

Owain maintains a broad portfolio in service improvement and research. He co-authors national clinical guidelines and teaches safe prescribing to undergraduate and postgraduate learners.
Owain is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pharmacy and is undertaking a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) to deepen his understanding of organisational structures and complex adaptive systems, such as the NHS, to improve patient care.

Lia Popa

After graduating from the University of Manchester and completing pre-registration training in industry and hospital pharmacy in London, I returned to beautiful North Wales, where I continue to live and practise.

I am an Advanced Clinical Practitioner Pharmacist with extensive experience across hospital, community pharmacy, and primary care. This has given me a strong understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing pharmacy teams today. I have mentored and trained pharmacists and pharmacy technicians across multiple sectors and I have been an active member of numerous multidisciplinary teams.

I currently work in primary care and community pharmacy, roles I am equally passionate about. My clinical interests centre on chronic disease management and cardiorenal health, particularly where lifestyle interventions can complement pharmacological treatments. I strongly believe that early intervention, patient education, and empowerment are fundamental to preventing and managing long-term conditions, ultimately supporting healthier individuals, communities, and a healthier Wales.

Being involved with Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales offers a valuable opportunity to help shape the future of pharmacy practice in Wales. I am committed to advancing the roles of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to deliver the high-quality, patient-centred care that we need to meet current healthcare demands and future challenges.

Cath O’Brien

Cath was appointed as Chief Pharmacy Information Officer for DHCW in 2024, where she is engaged with the delivery of the current digital medicines initiatives as well as helping shape the next steps in achieving the digital medicines roadmap for NHS Wales.

Historically, Cath has held a number of senior pharmacy roles at WCPPE and RPSGB, taking a leadership role in establishing RPS. She has now returned to a pharmacy role following a decade as Director of the Welsh Blood Service and Chief Operating Officer at Velindre NHS University Trust. Her digital experience ranges from e-learning platforms to major system implementations in Blood, LIMS, Cancer Informatics and Radiotherapy. 

She was made Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the Welsh Blood Service and the adoption of Cell and Gene Therapy in Wales for leading the development of the Advanced Therapies Statement of Intent on behalf of Welsh Government.

She has extensive experience in service transformation and a particular interest in innovation in the life science sector; having been a Board member of the Life Science Hub Wales.

Kate Gardiner

I have worked in pharmacy for 19 years, am a deputy regional manager at present, and have been registered as a Pharmacy Technician since 2010.

Over the years, I have worked in various different roles, some being in community pharmacy and others in Prison undertaking medicines management.

One of my job roles as a deputy regional manager is undertaking and supporting service delivery. I absolutely love face-to-face consultations with patients and delivering professional and quality services to my patients, as well as coaching and mentoring. This was one of the reasons I jumped at the chance to sit on the board for “Seamless Pharmaceutical Care”

I was recognised for my work last year by APTUK and won the Community pharmacy technician of the year award.

My extensive knowledge of leading and managing teams and projects has helped me to achieve great results for our patients.

I am very driven in supporting PDAHW to achieve the goals for the 2030 vision for pharmacy in Wales.

Amanda Powell

I am currently the Lead Pharmacist for Community Resource Teams (CRTs) and Frailty in Aneurin Bevan UHB. Over the last six years, we have developed a service, helped by the ‘A Healthier Wales’ agenda.

I have previously worked in hospital and primary care pharmacy and have taught on the prescribing course at Cardiff University.

I believe that pharmacy should work completely within the MDT, contributing to decision-making, because we are there at the point of decision-making and care planning. I am passionate about realising the full potential of our fellow registrants, Pharmacy Technicians, because they can bring such value to patient care. In my opinion, pharmacy home visits to frail or vulnerable patients provide so many benefits to patients and health & social care generally.

A Healthier Wales and P:DaHW continue to give me so many opportunities to transform a service that I believe truly makes a difference to the people in our communities. I’d like to help others within the profession take those opportunities, too.

Michelle Sehrawat

Head of Pharmacy Workforce Planning and Consultant Practice

Michele worked as a hospital pharmacist in Wales from 2001-2014, taking a lead on development of the pharmacy workforce in ABM. To grow a flexible pharmacy workforce, Michele worked with teams to increase work experience and vacation placement capacity and implemented Health Board rotational programmes for trainees.

Taking up the role as the All Wales Principal Pharmacist Education and Training for NHS Wales, Michele implemented the switch to National Recruitment for trainee pharmacists via the Oriel system.

Subsequently, in 2018, Michele joined Health Education and Improvement Wales and worked with stakeholders to develop and launch the HEIW Pharmacy Workforce Plan in 2023, which is now being implemented. Michele championed the value of professional credentialing, setting up the Consultant Pharmacist Community of Practice.

Verity Morris

My name is Verity Morris, and I am the Chief Pharmacy Technician in Primary Care for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. I have over 21 years’ experience in pharmacy, starting my career in secondary care as an ATO before qualifying as a pharmacy technician.

In my 16 years working in secondary care, I gained valuable experience, including working across primary and secondary care interface, following patients’ home from hospital. This led to my decision to move into primary care.

I am passionate about delivering patient-centred care and strive to improve outcomes through collaboration, innovation, and compassion. In my current role, I oversee a team of technicians who are dedicated to making sure medicines are used safely, effectively, and efficiently to achieve the best possible health outcomes for patients.

I am looking forward to being part of the vision for Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales and supporting the role that technicians can play in improving patient experience and outcomes.

Patrick Singh

I am the Lead Pharmacist for Digital and Informatics at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. My role involves leading the deployment of digital solutions within healthcare to improve the quality of care provided.

Throughout my career, I have held numerous roles in hospital Pharmacy where I discovered my passion for leveraging technology to enhance pharmaceutical services. 

Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales relies on the integration of technology to achieve our goals of enhancing pharmacy services and promoting better health outcomes. Introducing digital solutions, like Electronic Patient Records and AI-based diagnostics, will improve patient safety whilst creating a more positive experience for both patients and healthcare staff. Leveraging technology will ensure that pharmacies become pivotal hubs for delivering comprehensive and technologically advanced healthcare services across the country.

Geraldine McCaffrey

Geraldine joined the Welsh Pharmacy Board in 2021, and took up the role of Vice Chair in 2022. She is currently the Principal Pharmacist for Research and Development at Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board. She has spent most of her career working in Hospital Pharmacy, including clinical specialist and team leader roles. She qualified as an independent prescriber in 2015.

Geraldine has a keen interest in research, improvement and innovation to ensure patients fully benefit from pharmacy services and the skills of pharmacy professionals. These interests developed through experiences including her research focussing on pharmacy user perspectives of digitisation, and her involvement in the Health Foundation’s Safer Patient Initiative programme. 

Reflecting these interests, Geraldine is currently a member of the Board for Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales, the 10-year strategy for whole system transformation of pharmacy services and the pharmacy professions in Wales.

She is also involved with delivery of the Digital Medicines Transformation Portfolio for Wales within her Health Board, and with the design and development of Pharmacogenomics Services for Wales.

Sudhir Sehrawat

I have been registered as a pharmacist for over 20 years. My experience includes community pharmacist (independent and multiple), working for a primary care trust, GP practice pharmacist and in the last 5 years as a pharmacy contractor based in Cardiff. I am also a RCPharm Board member and have a role within CPW.

P:DaHW sets out clear aims and goals that are owned by the pharmacy profession and we all have a part to play to ensure success. Working and learning from pharmacists and pharmacy technicians as well as collaboratively working with stakeholders is key. Understanding processes, looking for improvements, creating efficiencies, releasing capacity and sharing good practice is how I can contribute to delivering the goals of PDaHW.

Elen Jones, HonProf, FRPharmS, FHEA

Elen Jones is the Pharmacy Dean at Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW). She leads the strategic development of pharmacy education and workforce transformation across Wales, ensuring the profession is equipped to meet the needs of a modern healthcare system.

Elen is also an Honorary Professor in Pharmacy at Swansea University, reflecting her commitment to advancing pharmacy education and research.

Prior to joining HEIW, Elen served as Acting Director of Pharmacy across Great Britain at the Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm), alongside her substantive role as Director for Wales. During her time at RPharm, she led national policy and practice initiatives and was project manager and lead author of Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales, the ten-year vision for pharmacy in Wales published in 2019.

Her career spans community pharmacy management, clinical governance roles, and academic teaching. She has lectured at Cardiff University since 2010 and holds a Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. Elen has championed Welsh language provision in pharmacy education, ensuring bilingual competence for patient consultations.

Marc Donovan

Healthcare Development and Public Affairs Director, Boots UK

Marc has a career in healthcare spanning 20 years. Originally training as a pharmacist at Cardiff University, he has worked within the NHS and progressed through a number of senior clinical, HR and managerial positions within Boots I-JK. Marc currently oversees the strategy for Healthcare and external relationships.

Marc presently holds fellowships at the Royal College of Pharmacy and the Chartered Institute of Professional Development. He is a member of the People Advisory Board of NHS England, Chair of the Community Pharmacy Workforce Development Group and Member of both Community Pharmacy England and Wales as well as the Company Chemists’ Association. He is a past Chairman of the Welsh Board of the Royal College of Pharmacy.

Marc was awarded an OBE for his services to pharmacy as part of the 2022 Queen’s Jubilee Birthday Honours.

Jonathan Simms

I am Clinical Director of Pharmacy at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and represent Chief Pharmacists on the Delivery Board. My career has included various roles in hospital pharmacy including time as a teacher practitioner and then Primary Care prescribing advisor roles within Gwent. I have a strong interest in clinical effectiveness and have been a member of AWMSG and AWPAG. I am currently one of the NICE Medicines and Prescribing Associates in Wales.

As a member and now Chair of the Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee, I have seen the journey of P:DaHW from a request from the then Health Minister to the Vision we have today. I’m proud to be able to champion this Vision within my Health Board and help to deliver better services and outcomes for the patients  we serve, whilst driving forward the pharmacy profession within all sectors.

Kayleigh Williams

Kayleigh studied pharmacy at Cardiff University and qualified as a pharmacist in 2013. Since then, she has worked as a community pharmacist predominantly in South West Wales.

In 2017, Kayleigh joined Community Pharmacy Wales (CPW) part time as an Associate Director. In this role, she supports pharmacy contractors in Hywel Dda, Swansea Bay and Betsi Cadwaladr with the delivery of the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework. She also leads on key workstreams including Electronic Prescribing and Training and Workforce, supporting the CPW Board in representing contractors on issues that may impact them.

Kayleigh qualified as an Independent Prescriber in 2024 and continues to work as a locum in community pharmacy. This allows her to further develop her prescribing skills while maintaining a connection to frontline practice.

Adam Turner

Adam is a senior lecturer at Swansea University, and teaches in the areas of pharmacy practice and clinical pharmacy. He registered as a pharmacist in 2008 and began his career working in various roles in community pharmacy, including both multiple and independent pharmacies, and spent time working as a hospital outpatients pharmacist.

As an academic pharmacist Adam has taught pharmacists in the UK and in Malaysia. His area of expertise primarily focusses on pharmacy practice, and he has experience teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate level, as well as teaching to students registered for the overseas pharmacists’ assessment programme (OSPAP).

He attends international conferences with his research within the field of pharmacy practice and pharmacy education.

Rhian Carta

Rhian qualified from Bath University and completed her pre-registration training in London. Rhian has extensive experience across primary and secondary care in the NHS in England and Wales, she has worked in specialist mental health services at the Maudsley Hospital, formulary positions at University College London Hospitals, and clinical services lead for Queens Hospital, and the Homerton Hospital.

She was project manager for outcomes on the “Now or Never: Shaping Pharmacy for the Future” report for the Royal College of Pharmacy, which looked at ensuring the pharmacy workforce was ready and enabled for the future NHS.

In her most recent position as a regional manager for CPPE, Rhian supported the education provision for pharmacy professionals to enable them to carry out extended roles, as well as delivering leadership training.

Rhian is now working at Cwm Taf Morgannwg as Head of Pharmacy for Prince Charles and community hospitals, and as workforce development lead.

Sam Fisher

Sam Fisher studied at the Welsh School of Pharmacy in Cardiff and registered as a pharmacist in 1997 before attaining her MSc in Clinical Community Pharmacy. Sam held various pharmacy-field-based operational roles including Regional Director for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and leading key business transformation programmes such as automation and centralisation of dispensing at Lloyds Pharmacy, before becoming Head of Pharmacy Affairs for McKesson UK.

Passionate about the evolution of pharmacy and its future role within the wider healthcare agenda, Sam has over 10 years’ experience as a Board director of the Company Chemists Association, board member of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and Vice Chair of Community Pharmacy Wales (CPW).

Sam is currently Vice Chair of the Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee and Chief Pharmacist for Primary Care and Medicines Optimisation at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.

Emyr Jones

Consultant Pharmacist, National lead for Wales: Community Healthcare.

I am a non-executive member of the Board and also a sub-group member for the Seamless Pharmaceutical Care theme. My main objective is to represent Pharmacy’s role in enhancing health in care homes and focus on pharmacy’s role in supporting the social care sector.

As a consultant pharmacist and national lead for community health care, I work across health and social care services to improve coordination and continuity of care for patients across organisational boundaries.

Throughout my career, I have held various roles across all sectors of pharmacy, including primary care, secondary care, academia, and the third sector. I have a special interest in palliative care and prescribing for the frail population. In addition, I have previously served as a NICE fellow, contributing to developing evidence-based guidelines and recommendations.

Dr Sarah Hiom, BPharm, MRPharmS, PhD.

Sarah is the National Specialist Pharmacist – Research & Development, based at St Mary’s Pharmaceutical Unit – C&VUHB. She chairs Pharmacy Research Wales, is a board member for Pharmacy Delivering a Healthier Wales and sits on the Enhancing Patient Experience subgroup. Sarah is passionate about research and helping professionals to embrace research as part of their day-to-day practice.

Sarah is a registered pharmacist with over 35 years of experience working in hospitals, the community, and academia. After studying at the Welsh School of Pharmacy, Sarah completed her hospital pre-registration training in Oxford before returning to Cardiff for a PhD in Pharmaceutical Microbiology. 

She worked in Technical Services before being appointed to the Welsh National Specialist role for Research and Development. Sarah has subsequently led on the development of a Pharmacy Research Strategy for Wales [2015-2020] and established research networks such as Pharmacy Research Wales and a National Technical Services Research Collaboration between the NHS and academia. 

Sarah established a personal research portfolio in Technical Services, exploring formulation and clinical efficacy of topical gabapentin for neuropathic pain and the use of rapid microbiological methods to improve the microbial quality assurance of bespoke parenteral nutrition.

Sarah is looking forward to developing and supporting the research agenda for Pharmacy Delivering a Healthier Wales.

Sunesh Mistry

I am a GP Practice Pharmacist independent prescriber based in Ely Bridge Surgery, Ely, Cardiff.

I have been in this role for nearly four years and was a cluster pharmacist in Cwm Taff health board before being employed directly by a GP Practice. I have also worked as a community pharmacist for 12 years.

I am passionate about progressing our profession forward and making sure pharmacists in all sectors have the best opportunities for their careers.

Angharad Morris

I am an Area Operations Manager and qualified Pharmacy Technician with eight years of experience in community pharmacy. Since starting my career in 2017, I’ve built a strong foundation in patient care, dispensary operations, accuracy checking, and delivering high-quality frontline services. Qualifying as a Pharmacy Technician in 2022 strengthened my clinical knowledge and allowed me to take on greater responsibility in supporting both colleagues and patients.

In 2024, I stepped into the role of Area Operations Manager, where I now oversee multiple pharmacy sites across Wales, where I lead and develop teams, and drive operational excellence across my region. My work focuses on supporting colleagues, improving workflow and compliance, and ensuring that every branch delivers a consistently safe and effective service.

 I am passionate about working collaboratively at every level and believe strongly in the importance of education, professional growth, and empowering people to reach their full potential. I take pride in creating an environment where colleagues feel supported, confident, and motivated.

Louise Hughes

I am a senior lecturer and Director of Learning and Teaching at Cardiff University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

I am proud to be both a pharmacist and an educator: my pharmacy career began in community pharmacy in 1997, but I have spent the last 25 years in academia, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students and undertaking research in the fields of pharmacovigilance and pharmacy education.

My work has also included teaching students and supporting colleagues in Malaysia, Malawi, Namibia and Iraq, and enhancing and promoting Adverse Drug Reaction reporting both in the UK and Malawi.

I am excited to have the opportunity to contribute to Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales, to develop and support work which will benefit both the profession and patients and the public throughout Wales.

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RCPharm 2026 Election Manifesto for Scotland

Maximising pharmacy for patient benefit The key to improving Scotland’s health The Royal College of Pharmacy is the professional leadership body for pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists. We champion the safe and effective use of medicines and support the profession for the benefit of patients and the public. Our mission is to put pharmacy at the forefront of patient care. Our vision is to become the world leader in the safe and effective use of medicines. This manifesto for the 2026 Scottish elections sets out the key issues that need to be addressed to ensure a sustainable, integrated and strong pharmacy profession that delivers high quality, safe and effective care. We call on the next Scottish Government to work with us and pharmacists across Scotland to make these calls a reality.  What pharmacy has the potential to achieve In our vision for the future of pharmacy, Pharmacy 2030, we set out what pharmacy has the potential to achieve. This includes: Pharmacists ensure the quality and safety of all medicine use. Most pharmacists should be working in patient-facing roles and autonomously managing caseloads of patients who take high-risk medicines or have complex therapeutic needs Pharmacy teams ensure that every patient receives evidence-based prescribing of new medicines and timely, systematic medication reviews. Pharmacy teams should be considering the environmental impact of medicines when prescribing and reviewing medicines, and take action to reduce medicines waste Pharmacy teams should be providing truly person-centred care by empowering patients to make shared decisions about their medicines and providing a holistic approach to care.  This should include the provision of health improvement services to address population health and health inequalities Pharmacy teams should be offering services to patients in a way which delivers equity of access. Pharmacy teams have the potential to routinely offer patients a choice of remote consultations, asynchronous consultations and other digital services, as well as in-person care. Medicines supply may be offered by in-pharmacy collection, delivery services and remote collection, but in all cases, patients should have an opportunity to consult with an appropriate member of the pharmacy team. Call 1: Ensure that pharmacists in all care settings have read and write access to an integrated digital patient record Context: In June 2025, Scottish Parliament voted for the creation of an integrated digital patient care record. Community pharmacy is taking on more responsibility within primary care than ever before. More patients are being directed to community pharmacies for everything from minor ailments to medicines advice and prescribing services. Successful services such as Pharmacy First and Pharmacy First Plus have the potential to be expanded to improve patient access to care. From 2026, every pharmacist who qualifies will be prescriber ready, meaning that they can independently prescribe medicines in the community. The focus on prevention means those providing care to patients in any setting must have access to relevant patient information to allow them to make effective and appropriate interventions. They must also be able to record their interventions and the outcomes. However: 12% of community pharmacists surveyed by RCPharm report having no access to patient records 88% of community pharmacists surveyed by RCPharm report having limited access to patient records, mostly via the limited and incomplete Emergency Care Summary (ECS) 95% of pharmacists surveyed by RCPharm said that digital access to clinical systems by community pharmacists was important. How to implement The next Scottish Government should ensure that the integrated digital patient care record, which is being developed, is available to pharmacists in all care settings, with read and write access. Benefits Revolutionise patient care and drive more patients to community pharmacy as a first port of call. Increased pharmacy and wider primary care capacity, with less time spent contacting the GP and more time spent with patients. Improved data sharing in primary care, which will make it easier to see all care a patient is receiving from different healthcare professionals. Provide community pharmacists with the data required to make clinical and prescribing decisions. Allow for the expansion of services and Pharmacy First, provided by community pharmacists which fully utilise their skills and knowledge. Ensure all healthcare practitioners involved in a patient’s care have access to all relevant information, which will improve governance and safety as well as patient care and experience. Call 2: Improve national workforce planning for pharmacy Context We need to ensure we have the right numbers of professionals being trained and entering pharmacy practice, and this can only be achieved through strong national workforce planning for pharmacy. The ‘Pharmacy Workforce Report 2024’ for Scotland, developed by the NES Data Group and commissioned by Scottish Government, highlighted challenges in ensuring that Scotland has the right numbers of pharmacists in place at the right time, across all sectors: The NHS Health Board vacancy rate for pharmacists was 340 WTE (7.3%) as of September 2024. The community pharmacy vacancy rate for pharmacists was 76 WTE (4.8%) as of September 2024. Pharmacy workforce demand continues to increase across all sectors of practice as the scope and delivery of pharmaceutical services change. How to implement Scottish Government should undertake comprehensive workforce planning for pharmacy, so we can ensure that Scotland has the right numbers of pharmacists working at any one time, across all sectors and the right skill mix to support services. This will require a review of the national funding and support for pharmacy workforce planning. Benefits More people will be able to access primary care closer to home, on a walk-in basis without an appointment, and to access prescribed medicines. The number of training posts will rise in line with the increasingly clinical role of pharmacists, expansion of pharmacy services and the population need. The number of foundation training places matches the number of pharmacists needed in Scotland to fill the vacancies and maintain the pipeline. Ensures a sustainable pipeline of pharmacists educated and trained in Scotland, to deliver pharmaceutical care to patients. Improve pharmacist cover across all sectors. Reduce variability in service provision. Support the shift of the balance of care from secondary to primary care. Reduce pressure across the healthcare system. Call 3: Enable a more sustainable approach to medicines Context Medicines account for around 25% of carbon emissions in the NHS. If Scotland is to achieve net-zero, strategies for reducing carbon emissions from prescribing and medicines need to be tackled. There have been numerous publications from Scottish Government in recent years referencing electronic prescribing. These include Realistic Medicine, and Scottish Government Quality Prescribing Guidance. It is now the Scottish Government’s responsibility to ensure there is funding in place to shift the dial on sustainable prescribing to make this practice a reality across Scotland. How to implement Prioritise the introduction of electronic prescribing across the NHS. Introduce the requirement for an environmental impact in NHS medicines procurement and improve the availability of data about the environmental impact of medicines. Benefits Saving carbon emissions due to reduced paper use and reduced journeys to move paper forms; and the procurement of less carbon intensive medicines where possible. Supports healthcare professionals and their teams to work in more environmentally sustainable ways, supporting Scotland to reach net-zero. How to implement Develop a supportive infrastructure for green social prescribing across Scotland.  Benefits Providing patients with an alternative to a medicine or a prescription, which may be more beneficial to their wellbeing. How to implement Embed education and training for healthcare professionals in sustainability into undergraduate and postgraduate learning. Benefits Supports all healthcare professionals to practice in the most environmentally sustainable ways. How to implement Ensure there is ecotoxicity specialist input on the Scottish Medicines Consortium, to support the integration of environmental criteria in medicine appraisal standards and processes. Benefits Ensures that environmental sustainability is a key consideration when medicines are appraised. Call 4 : Ensure time for learning and development for all pharmacists to support workforce development and enable safe delivery of services Context As managing the health of patients becomes more complex due to increasing prevalence of long-term conditions and new innovative medicines, the need for pharmacy expertise will only increase. Pharmacists do not routinely receive protected time to learn new skills and update their knowledge as part of a multidisciplinary team, or to support the learning of undergraduate and trainee pharmacists. Our 2023 workforce wellbeing survey identified that 59% of respondents were not offered sufficient protected learning time and 47% noted this as negatively impacting their mental health in the last year. We recognise that Scottish Government has issued guidance to NHS Boards to ensure that Agenda for Change staff have protected learning time for their statutory and mandatory training, including profession specific mandatory training. We call on employers and Government to recognise the importance of development beyond that classed as mandatory by regulators. How to implement Ensure that protected and funded development time within the working day for pharmacists is embedded in workforce planning Benefits Pharmacists will be guaranteed time to upskill, expanding their scope of practice and allowing them to support more complex care in all settings. Pharmacists will be supported to undertake education and development to allow them to deliver a specific population need e.g.to provide earlier intervention for prevention of illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease. Pharmacists will have time to undertake training to provide preventative care and to enable the population to live healthier, more active lives, including those living with long term conditions. How to implement Scottish Government to work with Community Pharmacy Scotland to ensure that there are equitable arrangements for community pharmacy teams.  Ensures that all pharmacists, wherever they are working, benefit from protected learning time. Provides the public with confidence that all pharmacists, wherever they are working, have protected time to invest in their skills and training enabling them to provide the best care possible. If you would like further information or have any questions about this manifesto, please contact: [email protected] Head of External RelationsRoyal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland

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Pharmacy 2030: a professional vision

Click on the links provided to download a PDF copy of the full vision or the executive summary. Executive summary Introduction The vision: professional roles in pharmacy Achieving the vision: underpinning infrastructure Acknowledgments and strategic links Introduction Every health and care profession, every health service provider and every government has been influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. It has caused everyone to reflect on whether the strategic directions set five or 10 years ago are still right for a post-pandemic future. Pharmacy is no different: it feels like the right time to set out a new professional vision, building on what has been developed previously to create something that describes the new future. Describing a vision for the future is challenging: some pharmacy teams are already pushing boundaries and delivering care that for others seems a distant dream. What this vision recognises is that everyone is on a journey, and it aims to support all of pharmacy to move forward to a new level of professional practice. It is an evolution from where we are now, not a revolution. The future of pharmacy By 2030, the traditional boundaries between pharmacy sectors will be broken down. Pharmacy teams will work together, both within pharmacy and with the wider multidisciplinary team, to deliver seamless care for patients. Pharmacy teams will take a person-centred approach and care will be provided holistically rather than by clinical condition. They will ensure high quality, safe, effective, cost-effective and sustainable prescribing in all settings. In addition, they will drive high standards of medicines governance, and ensure every aspect of prescribing and dispensing processes are effective and efficient. For pharmacists, this will mean being recognised as medicines experts who take leadership of prescribing in all care settings and who optimise therapeutic outcomes for individual patients. There will be a shift away from checking other professionals’ work towards pharmacists having a clinical, prescribing role to manage the care of individual patients. Pharmacy technicians will lead medicines management processes, both in technical roles focused on the safe and efficient supply of medicines, and in patient-facing roles to support patients’ use of medicines. The breaking down of boundaries between pharmacy sectors will be demonstrated through two key shifts. The first is that seamless patient care will be standard. As a patient moves between care settings, such as at hospital discharge, pharmacy teams will work together to ensure patients’ medicines-related care is supported and to avoid duplication of tasks in the patient’s journey. The second shift is that pharmacy will be more dynamic. Many pharmacy professionals are now actively seeking a portfolio career, working across different sectors. By 2030, a core generalist role for both pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will be developed to enable this flexible portfolio working. This change will be driven by digital and technology developments to enable whole-team working, and clear pathways of professional development which apply to all sectors of pharmacy. “Pharmacy will work together with patients and the multidisciplinary team, using their expertise to make the best use of medicines” The vision: professional roles in pharmacy Being the experts in medicines — "Ensuring the quality and safety of medicines use" The key role of pharmacy professionals, that distinguishes them from other health care professions, is expertise in medicines. This will remain at the centre of pharmacy in 2030, with pharmacy teams ensuring the quality and safety of medicines use through both patient-facing and technical expertise. In 2030, pharmacists will be the clinical lead for safe and effective prescribing within all care settings. Most pharmacists will work in patient-facing roles, consulting with patients: assessing, prescribing, monitoring and reviewing medicines for individual patients. They will be autonomous professionals working within multidisciplinary teams, prescribing in their own right, and managing caseloads of patients who take high risk medicines or who have complex therapeutic needs. These pharmacists will be known as “advanced generalist pharmacists” and will be able to move flexibly between care settings. Some pharmacists will choose to specialise in particular clinical or technical fields, and will become “advanced specialist pharmacists”. Some will develop further into consultant pharmacists who have an influence beyond the individual service to leading whole system improvements. In 2030, pharmacy technicians will lead and be experts in safe and secure purchasing, storage, dispensing and supply of medicines. This will include managing services and providing assurance on safe and effective processes. Pharmacy technicians working in patient-facing advanced level roles will consult with patients, undertake technical aspects of medicines reconciliation and medication review, triage patients, monitor and review blood results, provide patient education, administer medicines (if enabled by legislation/governance arrangements) and liaise with cross sector pharmacy teams. Optimising therapeutic outcomes — Prescribing, monitoring, reviewing, adjusting and stopping medicines n 2030, pharmacy teams will ensure every patient receives high quality prescribing of new medicines and timely, systematic medication reviews. All patients will receive the right care at the right time and the right place. Therapeutic outcomes will be optimised through prescribing, monitoring, reviewing, adjusting and stopping medicines. Pharmacy input will be targeted at: key stages in a patient’s journey such as at transitions between care settings, when patients are acutely unwell, patients who receive high risk medicines and complex therapies, and frail patients. This will improve medicines safety, help manage risk and reduce unnecessary polypharmacy. Optimising outcomes will include delivering greener, more environmentally sustainable services. Pharmacy teams will consider the environmental impact of medicines when prescribing and reviewing medicines, and take action to reduce medicines waste.  Providing person-centred holistic care — Empowering patients to make shared decisions about their medicines The core role of pharmacy teams in 2030 will be to provide care for patients holistically, focused on the person rather than their clinical condition or medicines. They will enable person-centred care by having positive conversations with patients and their families/carers, and empowering patients to make shared decisions about their medicines and health. Prescribing decisions will be taken using a Realistic Medicine approach by asking patients “what matters to you”. Pharmacy teams will have regular conversations with patients about medicines. These conversations will be enhanced by pharmacy teams being trained in effective, inclusive communication to address inequalities caused by low health literacy. Pharmacy teams will have essential roles in preventing ill health by taking a holistic approach to care that goes beyond medicines. This will include the provision of health improvement services such as harm minimisation to reduce drug deaths, mental health support, brief interventions to reduce alcohol use, vaccination services and lifestyle advice including using a social/green prescription approach. Improving access to care — Achieving equity of access to pharmacy services Before 2030, all pharmacy teams will proactively offer services in a way that delivers equity of access. They will identify vulnerable patients who need specific support and adapt services for them. A service of particular importance in improving access to care is the NHS Scotland Pharmacy First service: the public’s first port of call for common clinical conditions. By 2030, the vast majority of community pharmacists will be independent prescribers, enabling the Pharmacy First service to be further developed, and it will also be extended into populations who cannot currently access it. By 2030, pharmacy services will be planned alongside wider NHS clinical service provision to ensure equitable access to pharmacy services is achieved across the 7-day period. This does not mean that a full pharmacy service is needed in all settings 24/7 but that patients requiring immediate care, particularly in hospital and out of hours services, are not disadvantaged by the day of the week or time they access services. More generally, access will be improved by enabling services in the way patients want. Pharmacy teams will routinely offer patients a choice of remote consulting, asynchronous consultations and other digital services, as well as in-person care. Similarly, medicines supply will be offered by in-pharmacy collection, delivery services and remote collection, but in all cases, patients will have an opportunity to consult with a member of the pharmacy team, including a pharmacist, every time a medicine is supplied. Leading medicines' governance — Ensuring high-quality prescribing, supply and use of medicines through robust governance Pharmacy teams already play essential roles in medicines governance, focusing on ensuring the safe and effective use of medicines. The crucial difference between the future and today is that in 2030, this will be recognised by others as a leadership role. Currently pharmacy teams both define and implement medicines governance processes: in future, the wider health care team will be involved in implementing the processes. Pharmacy teams will ensure standardised robust work processes, and good governance around the supply of medicines and high-quality evidence-based prescribing. They will consistently implement lean processes to achieve accurate prescribing, dispensing and use of medicines. The supply of medicines will be modernised by 2030. Pharmacy technicians will be the professional leads for the assembly, distribution, and safe and effective supply of medicines. Pharmacists will continue to have an essential role in the medicines supply process through the clinical check. Every prescription for a medicine that is new or has been changed will be clinically checked by a pharmacist, and this will include a conversation with the patient. Accuracy checking will be automated through scanning technology to reduce workload and increase safety. Leading evidence-based practice — Involved in research and strategic leadership to shape service development The creation of a recognised evidence base to underpin the use of medicines and pharmacy practice will continue to be essential in 2030. By then, most pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will have developed research capability and will be involved in research, service development and quality improvement. Pharmacists working in academia and industry will play a leading role both in conducting research and in supporting the development of research skills in others. This evidence will be essential in enabling pharmacists to develop prescribing guidance. By 2030, such guidance will include consideration of the environmental impact of different medicines. Altogether this work will reduce harm, waste and variation. Pharmacists will also have an important role to play in strategic leadership to shape services and models of care in NHS boards and other organisations, wherever medicines are used. Achieving the vision: underpinning infrastructure Using data to deliver high-quality services — Data will underpin personalised care for patients and improved service planning By 2030, data will be used to enhance pharmacy services in a number of ways. Clinical data will be used to target and support decisions. Data will enable provision of personalised care and medicines for patients, including in pharmacogenomics. Decision support software, including artificial intelligence tools, will provide data that will be used to improve the quality and safety of care and prescribing. Data will also be used to make population-based decisions to plan services and prioritise pharmacy resources in response to local needs. In 2030, a national dataset will be available, which will demonstrate the effectiveness and quality of pharmacy services in all settings, enabling the impact of pharmacy services on improving population health to be determined. Clinical outcome measures will be developed, linking patient outcomes with prescribing and administration data. In addition, systems will be developed for obtaining feedback from patients and colleagues about pharmacy teams’ performance to drive continuous service improvement. Harness digital technology and innovation — A single shared electronic patient record will transform health and care services The biggest digital transformation of pharmacy and health care by 2030 will be the introduction of a single shared electronic patient record across all health and care services. This will be a universal patient record into which every professional both reads and writes information, using their existing clinical system as the entry point. Each professional group will have a different view, according to what is appropriate for their role. This record will release clinicians’ capacity, improve safety and enable the provision of better care for patients. Another significant digital development will be full electronic prescribing and transfer of prescriptions across all care settings, removing the need for paper prescriptions. Electronic systems will underpin the recording of administration of medicines in all relevant care settings, including hospitals, care homes, care at home services and prisons. Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration systems (HEPMA) will support triaging of patients to allow clinical pharmacists to target those high-risk patients who need pharmaceutical input as a priority. Technology will also be harnessed to develop patient-facing services including digital consultations and remote monitoring. Developing the workforce — Continual professional development will be embedded across the whole pharmacy workforce By 2030, career development pathways will be in place for all members of the pharmacy team to support professional development, enabling people to flourish and feel fulfilled in their roles. For pharmacists, professional development will be aligned to the RPS curricula for foundation, advanced and consultant practice. Some pharmacists will also choose to complete higher degrees. For pharmacy technicians, professional development will be shaped by a suite of frameworks similar to those for pharmacists. All patient-facing pharmacists will have advanced clinical assessment and consultation skills, and be independent prescribers. Across both pharmacy professions, there will be a cultural shift to a system that is committed to continual professional development. All pharmacy professionals will have a role in supporting the education and development of others. Protected learning time and peer support networks will enable professional development and underpin reflective practice. Leading and participating in research and quality improvement will be a normal professional activity. By 2030, the pharmacy workplace culture will be inclusive, celebrate diversity, create a sense of belonging and be supportive of team members’ wellbeing. Pharmacy professionals will have rest breaks during the working day, flexible working options including portfolio careers, access to wellbeing services and a proper work-life balance. Workforce planning will be carried out across Scotland to ensure that the right skill mix and staffing levels are present in every pharmacy team. This will optimise the roles of pharmacy team members, maximise the time for clinical care, motivate staff and deliver optimal care for patients. Delivering seamless care — All pharmacy professionals will work together across transitions of care By 2030, all pharmacy professionals from all sectors will work together to deliver seamless transitions of care for patients as they move around the health service. Pharmacists will stop being described by their location but by their skills. Care will be planned around patients, for example transforming the supply of medicines on discharge from hospital so they are supplied by the patient’s community pharmacy instead of waiting in hospital. Seamless care extends beyond pharmacy to the wider multidisciplinary health and social care team. Pharmacy will be embedded in multidisciplinary teams and will have well-established referral pathways in and out of pharmacy services. Pharmacy will also play a central role in the new National Care Service to ensure the safe and appropriate use of medicines in care services. Acknowledgments and strategic links Achieving the vision: Key enablers Create a single shared patient record into which every professional both reads and writes information, using their existing clinical system as the entry point Make electronic prescribing, transfer of prescriptions & medicines administration systems available in all settings Improve skill mix within pharmacy teams, combined with effective workforce planning to ensure safe, effective and appropriate pharmacy staffing Support all patient-facing pharmacists to train as independent prescribers NHS Scotland to align the pharmacist post-registration development pathway to the RPS curricula for post-foundation, advanced and consultant practice; and equivalent professional development and credentialing pathways developed for pharmacy technicians Introduce protected learning time for all pharmacy teams to enable professional development and research activities Provide equipment to enable patient-facing digital services and training to maximise its use Establish a national data set to demonstrate the effectiveness and quality of pharmacy services  Embed the use of data, such as pharmacogenomics, to help guide treatment decisions and deliver personalised medicine Further embed pharmacy into the wider health and social care multidisciplinary team and develop clear referral pathways in and out of pharmacy services. Acknowledgements We are hugely grateful to all the pharmacists and pharmacy technicians across Scotland who contributed to this vision by participating in focus groups, and sharing their views through surveys, emails, phone calls and meetings.  We are also grateful to the pharmacy and non-pharmacy stakeholders who met with us through the consultation period and commented on numerous drafts. This vision was shaped by every single person who was involved: it could not have been created without them, and this final version belongs to them all. Strategic links To make this vision relevant to the strategic direction of travel in Scotland, documents produced by Scottish Government, NHS Scotland and other stakeholders were referenced. The section below highlights some key quotes from some of these documents: Achieving excellence in pharmaceutical care “The evolving focus of pharmacy practice to ensure that people have an understanding of what to expect from their medication requires an acknowledgement that people and their carers rightly wish to be active partners in treatment options." “Pharmacy resource can be targeted through a triage model, focusing on high risk and complex cases.” “Hospital discharge can be a difficult time to support people with adherence to new medication regimens. There is a role for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in supporting this transition by taking on a greater part in managing care prior to and during discharge.” Scottish Government. 'Achieving excellence in pharmaceutical care: a strategy for Scotland'. August 2017.  Scotland’s national clinical strategy “The contribution of pharmacists can be considerably enhanced, with their expertise in ensuring that people with complex medication regimes have their care optimised, and the potential for side effects or harmful interactions reduced." Health care teams should “provide care that is person centred rather than condition focused.” NHS services must “collect and use more information on outcomes, especially those that matter most to patients, rather than clinical data such as biochemical or other surrogate markers”. “While medicines can bring great benefit, they can also cause significant harm. Older people tend to experience worse side effects or consequences of treatment. That is why we should strive to actively manage risk associated with polypharmacy by regularly reviewing and rationalising our patient’s medications.” “Serious harm can result if we don’t listen to the people we care for, and if they are not given the information and support they need to make informed decisions about their care.”  “NHS Scotland is a significant contributor to the climate emergency. It emits a large amount of greenhouse gasses, consumes huge amounts of resources and produces copious amounts of waste. We have a moral obligation to help tackle the greatest threat to human health by reducing our impact on the environment. Responsibility rests with us all.” Scottish Government. 'Recover, restore, renew — Chief Medical Officer for Scotland Annual Report 2020-2021'. March 2021 The ALLIANCE’s report on health and wellbeing priorities for the future Care should be “flexible, person-centred which recognises the holistic nature of individuals” and that “being involved in the decision-making process and treated as an expert in their own life circumstances and care” is of the utmost importance to people. “For many people the innovative and accelerated implementation of virtual services improved access, made it quicker and supported more choices for the individual. People have welcomed the use of this technology, and its wider implementation and use should continue.” ALLIANCE. 'Health, wellbeing and the COVID-19 pandemic: Scottish experiences and priorities for the future'. February 2021. The NHS Scotland recovery plan 2021-26 “We will design services so that we minimise unnecessary travel and increase the focus on ‘net-zero’ approaches.” “We will continue to support the move to more health care being provided in the community and closer to home.” We will design a new sustainable system, focused on reducing inequality and improving health and wellbeing outcomes, and sustainable communities." “We will develop and introduce a new pharmacy woman’s health and wellbeing service through our public health services.” “We will also establish a community pharmacy hospital discharge and medicines reconciliation service to help speed up the process for people being discharged from hospital.” “We are investing in developing new digital solutions such as ePrescribing and eDispensing to make the prescribing process paperless.” Scottish Government. 'NHS recovery plan 2021-26'. August 2021 Scottish polypharmacy guidance “With up to 11% of unplanned hospital admissions being attributable to harm from medicines and over 70% of these being due to elderly patients on multiple medicines, there are significant opportunities to reduce this burden by timely and effective interventions.” Scottish Government. 'Polypharmacy guidance — realistic prescribing', Third edition, 2018.

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Become a Champion for Change

Join the movement to transform pharmacy in Wales and champion a healthier future for people in Wales through Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales – the 2030 vision for pharmacy.

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Why become a Champion?

  • Elevate your insights: elevate your professional game, gain insights into strategic changes in Wales that will influence your workplace
  • Drive forward better care: be a driving force for better patient care. Transform pharmacy services and share your great practice with others through the champions network
  • Ignite innovation: explore exciting new models and ways of working. Learn from what others are doing, prepare to be inspired and start to collaborate with new contacts to help shape the future of pharmacy
  • Speak your mind: have something to say about pharmacy challenges? Be part of the solution! Share your thoughts with the PDaHW project team or at upcoming champions events, even if it’s a little controversial. What’s wrong? What needs fixing? Your voice matters!
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Welsh Hospital Review

Transforming Clinical Hospital Pharmacy in Wales for Enhanced Patient Care

An independent review

To download a copy of the review, click on a cover image below.

Pharmacy Best Practice Wales

Putting Patients First

Catch some of the quick ‘TED talk’ style presentations from our September 2023 conference focused on Enhancing Patient Experience.

Watch some of the presentations

Written case studies

Read our case studies of best practice in different settings across Wales.

They all support the aims of our professional vision for the future, Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales.

Discover examples of best practice across Wales

Putting P:DaHW into action

Read blogs from pharmacists across Wales on how they’ve helped make P:DaHW a reality.

Read their blogs

Submit your own best practice examples

Help us promote the best example(s) of Welsh pharmacy practice.

Submit your own examples of best practice

Meet the P:DaHW Working Groups


Each theme of our Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales vision has a Working Group consisting of a Chair and members of the pharmacy profession who work across different sectors and geographical locations across Wales.

Members include pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, foundation pharmacists, undergraduate pharmacists and pre-registration pharmacy technicians. There is also patient representation on the Enhancing Patient Experience Working Group to ensure that patients can help shape the future of the profession.

Meet the members of the pharmacy profession who ensure progress towards the 2025 goals is being achieved.

1. Enhancing Patient Experience

Patients do not experience avoidable harm from medicines. Patients are supported by pharmacy teams to keep well, focusing on self-care, prevention, and early detection of illness. All patient-facing pharmacists are actively prescribing wherever the patient needs them.

Sam Fisher (Chair)

Sam Fisher studied at the Welsh School of Pharmacy in Cardiff and registered as a pharmacist in 1997 before attaining her MSc in Clinical Community Pharmacy.

Sam held various pharmacy field-based operational roles, including Regional Director for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and led key business transformation programmes such as automation and centralisation of dispensing at Lloyds Pharmacy, before becoming Head of Pharmacy Affairs for McKesson UK.

Passionate about the evolution of pharmacy and its future role within the wider healthcare agenda, Sam has over 10 years’ experience as a Board director of the Company Chemists Association, board member of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and Vice Chair of Community Pharmacy Wales (CPW).

Sam is currently Vice Chair of the Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee and Chief Pharmacist for Primary Care and Medicines Optimisation at Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.

Brian Moon

After my retirement from the Welsh Assembly, where I advised on ICT, which included Health Informatics, I have been a Board member of Community Health Councils Wales (CHC), which was the patients’ advocate in the local delivery of Health services. Currently, I am a team inspector with responsibility for patient perspective with Health Inspection Wales (HIW). I am also working with Health Education in Wales (HEIW) as a lay representative involved with competency reviews and service recruitment of health professionals.

I am passionate about the delivery of Health services in Wales and the engagement of the public in their delivery, with a particular interest in care of the elderly, and I am looking forward to being part of the team delivering better Pharmacy services.

I retired from the Welsh Assembly Government, where I had responsibility for ICT advice in Public Service Organisations across Wales. Subsequently, I was Chair of the Community Health Council (CHC) for Bridgend, Neath and Swansea, and as such, I served on the National CHC Board for Wales, which superseded CHCs by covering both Health and Social Care. I am currently a Lay Member of Health Education in Wales (HEIW) – my tenure ends April 2022 – and on the Board of the Welsh Assemblies Pharmacy Delivery Board, currently developing strategy for the role of Community Pharmacies in Wales.

I am applying for the role of a Non-Executive Board Member on either a two-, three- or four-year term.

I am passionate about the delivery of Health and Social Care and engagement of the public in the delivery of services in Wales, with a particular interest in care of the elderly.

Sian Evans

Sian Evans is a senior public health professional with over 25 years’ experience working in different sectors of the NHS with a passion for primary care. She is a Consultant in Public Health, Public Health Wales and a registered pharmacist.

She started life as a community pharmacist and since then has held a number of positions in Wales, leading small teams and national pieces of work to influence the public health, NHS settings, medicines management, workforce development and healthcare professional agendas.

For the last few years, Sian has pursued her interest in climate change and is working across the system in Wales to enable others to take action to improve the planet.

Fiona Jeanes

I’m Fiona Jeanes; I’m a Pre-Registration Pharmacy Technician in the Royal Glamorgan Hospital, which is part of Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.

I started working for the NHS nearly 11 years ago as a Cardio-thoracic Theatre assistant, first at the University Hospital of Wales and then at the Royal Glamorgan. The patient experience I gained from this and observing different medications intrigued and inspired me to apply for an ATO position within the hospital pharmacy.

I thoroughly enjoyed my ATO position and wanted to expand my career and knowledge, and set myself a goal of becoming a Medicines Management technician. I was fortunate enough to gain a position as a Pre-Registration pharmacy technician and qualify later this year. Seeing how the roles of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and ATO’s are developing into more patient-facing clinical roles is exciting, and being involved within this setting means we can provide a more efficient service and safer care to our patients and community.

I’m passionate about making sure that our patients get the best pharmacy experience possible, and am privileged to be able to make a difference to Delivering a Healthier Wales and hopefully inspire future Pre-Registration Pharmacy Technicians to do the same.

Aled Roberts

Aled is a community pharmacist and IP, who qualified from Cardiff in 2008, completed a postgraduate certificate in clinical pharmacy and therapeutics at Keele in 2019 and returned to Cardiff in 2022 to complete his independent prescribing qualification.

He currently works three days a week at Community Pharmacy Wales, providing support to community pharmacy contractors across Powys, Cwm Taf and Betsi Cadwaladr Health boards. Aled leads on collaborative working and the Accelerated Cluster Development programme for CPW, supporting the 60 Community Pharmacy Collaborative Lead roles across Wales. Aled also works as a community pharmacy locum, delivering all of the nationally commissioned services, including the independent prescribing service.

Mark Ireland FRPharmS

After studying at the Welsh School of Pharmacy, Mark completed his preregistration training at the Oxford Radcliffe NHS Trust, where he continued to work in the early years of his career.

He joined Alliance Pharmacy as a pharmacy manager in 1996 and held several positions within the pharmacy retail chain, including five years in international business development roles. Following the merger with Boots in 2006, Mark was appointed Head of Strategy and then moved to his current role as Director of Pharmacy Contract Development in 2009.

Mark has extensive experience in the development of pharmacy contracts and services across the UK and Europe. Mark was appointed as a Fellow of the Royal College of Pharmacy in 2018 and has sat on the board of Community Pharmacy Wales since 2014.

Thomas Sauter

I attended Cardiff School of Pharmacy and registered as a Pharmacist in 2015 before completing the IP course at Keele University in 2020. I started my career as a Community Pharmacist and am currently working in Bridgend, Integrated Community Services.
 
I am particularly passionate about delivering integrated care to support people to remain in their own homes, providing a key link between Primary and Secondary care. My current role has been instrumental in implementing patient-centred practices, where I have led initiatives to improve medication management through the development of a Digital Medicines Management Service.

Catherine Pollard

My name is Catherine Pollard, and I am the Pharmacist Team Leader for Unscheduled Care in the Emergency Quadrant in Glan Clwyd Hospital, North Wales.

I qualified in 2003 from Bradford University and, before moving back to North Wales, worked as a junior pharmacist at Wirral University Teaching Hospital and then at the Countess of Chester Hospital as a Teacher Practitioner with Liverpool John Moores University.

Working in a busy Emergency Department, I see the challenges we currently face and am excited by the opportunities that Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales proposes to improve the patient experience.

Sarah Hulse

I am the Blood Borne Virus Lead Pharmacist at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) and last year successfully completed the RCPharm consultant pharmacist credentialing process. I work across the three integrated health care communities in North Wales looking after people living with HIV and viral hepatitis.

I have been qualified as a pharmacist for thirty years, working mainly in secondary care in a variety of hospitals in England, before taking up my current role in BCUHB. In North Wales, I have developed a rapid test and treat pathway for hepatitis C in the community, which has helped provide treatment for marginalised communities who find it difficult to access care via traditional pathways.

I am passionate about reducing health inequalities and delivering patient-centred care to ensure the best outcomes and experience for patients.

Debra Roberts

Debra is a registered pharmacist with experience in community pharmacy and academia who is passionate about education. She is currently Associate Pharmacy Dean, Head of Programme Development and Advanced practice at Health Education and Improvement Wales, where she is responsible for leading on the development of innovative courses and creation of eLearning, which upskill and equip the entire pharmacy workforce to meet the changing needs of the profession.

She graduated from Cardiff University before working for 10 years as a community pharmacist for Boots, holding a number of management positions within pharmacies in South Wales, before starting her academic career at Cardiff University, initially as a Continuous Professional Development tutor, before becoming Head of Programme development. Debra also has a number of postgraduate degrees in therapeutics and digital education. In 2018, when Health Education and Improvement Wales was created, she took up her current role, taking on additional responsibilities for advanced practice, including independent prescribing.

Debra’s areas of expertise include e-Learning development, leadership and consultation skills, and she teaches a range of these skills in a variety of HEIW programmes for qualified professionals. She is keen to develop the role of pharmacy across Wales and sits on the RCPharm Education and Standards Committee, RCPharm Advanced Pharmacist Assessment Panel, and National Extended Management Board for community pharmacy services.

George Watkins

I’m the Senior Policy and Campaigns Officer for Mind Cymru. My work focuses on improving the experiences of people across Wales with mental health problems. 

Recent things I have worked on include inpatient mental health care, reducing inequalities around accessing the right support services and developing a new Mental Health Act. I want to see a pharmacy system that works for everyone. 

As the son of a pharmacist, I’ve grown up knowing the impact they can make on a whole community. 

Pharmacies are a vital service that can help people with mental health problems feel supported and valued.

Katie Evans

She qualified as a pharmacist in 2009, initially working as a rotational hospital pharmacist. Her interest in mental health developed early in her career when she completed a mental health rotation as part of the clinical pharmacy therapeutics diploma program at Cardiff University.  In 2013, she took up a specialist mental health role and never looked back.

Katie has worked across several health boards within S.E. Wales and various mental health specialities, including CAMHS, acute adult (PICU and general), rehabilitation, older persons, addictions, low – medium secure forensics and learning disabilities.

Whilst Katie’s roles have often provided steep learning curves, she loves the challenge, variation, fast pace, and wealth of colleagues she has grown to know professionally and personally.

Katie completed the psychiatric therapeutics certificate and diploma with Aston University, passing both with distinction and was thrilled to receive the Helen Tennant Award for highest overall performance in 2020. She is currently undertaking a research MSc in Psychiatric Pharmacy Practice at Aston.

Katie has also worked as an external assessor for Aston University on the psychiatric therapeutics program and is an ongoing tutor for the independent prescribing course with Cardiff University.  She is a credentialed member of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy (CMHP) and sits on the CMHP Council as their Consultations Lead.

Her current role consists of working as a prescriber in a community mental health team alongside her hospital duties. The latter includes providing pharmaceutical care to acute adult and low-secure forensics wards. She is also chair of a medicines management group, specifically for clozapine treatment.

Outside of work, she is a busy mum, wife and keen DIY’er with a love of tilling.

Dr Sarah Hiom, BPharm, MRPharmS, PhD.

Sarah is the National Specialist Pharmacist – Research & Development, based at St Mary’s Pharmaceutical Unit – C&VUHB. She chairs Pharmacy Research Wales, is a board member for Pharmacy Delivering a Healthier Wales and sits on the Enhancing Patient Experience subgroup. Sarah is passionate about research and helping professionals to embrace research as part of their day-to-day practice.

Sarah is a registered pharmacist with over 35 years of experience working in hospitals, the community, and academia. After studying at the Welsh School of Pharmacy, Sarah completed her hospital pre-registration training in Oxford before returning to Cardiff for a PhD in Pharmaceutical Microbiology. 

She worked in Technical Services before being appointed to the Welsh National Specialist role for Research and Development. Sarah has subsequently led on the development of a Pharmacy Research Strategy for Wales [2015-2020] and established research networks such as Pharmacy Research Wales and a National Technical Services Research Collaboration between the NHS and academia. 

Sarah established a personal research portfolio in Technical Services, exploring formulation and clinical efficacy of topical gabapentin for neuropathic pain and the use of rapid microbiological methods to improve the microbial quality assurance of bespoke parenteral nutrition.

Sarah is looking forward to developing and supporting the research agenda for Pharmacy: Delivering A Healthier Wales.

Verity Morris

My name is Verity Morris, and I am the Chief Pharmacy Technician in Primary Care for Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board. I have over 21 years of experience in pharmacy, starting my career in secondary care as an ATO before qualifying as a pharmacy technician.

In my 16 years working in secondary care, I gained valuable experience, including working across the primary and secondary care interface, following patients home from the hospital. This led to my decision to move into primary care.

I am passionate about delivering patient-centred care and strive to improve outcomes through collaboration, innovation, and compassion. In my current role, I oversee a team of technicians who are dedicated to making sure medicines are used safely, effectively, and efficiently to achieve the best possible health outcomes for patients.

I am looking forward to being part of the vision for Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales and supporting the role that technicians can play in improving patient experience and outcomes.

Louise Hughes

I am a senior lecturer and Director of Learning and Teaching at Cardiff University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

I am proud to be both a pharmacist and an educator: my pharmacy career began in community pharmacy in 1997, but I have spent the last 25 years in academia, teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students and undertaking research in the fields of pharmacovigilance and pharmacy education.

My work has also included teaching students and supporting colleagues in Malaysia, Malawi, Namibia and Iraq, and enhancing and promoting Adverse Drug Reaction reporting both in the UK and Malawi.

I am excited to have the opportunity to contribute to Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales, to develop and support work which will benefit both the profession and patients and the public throughout Wales.

Sophie Hubbard

I am a first-year pharmacy student at Bangor University and am very excited and honoured to be part of Bangor’s first-ever pharmacy cohort.

I have a strong passion for pharmacy and a genuine commitment to contributing to the future of the profession.

I am keen to support the aims of Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales, and to play an active role in shaping the development of pharmacy services in Wales.

Mackenzie Green

I’m a fourth-year pharmacy student at Swansea University and have worked at Tynewydd Pharmacy, a community pharmacy, alongside my studies for just over 2.5 years.

My role in community pharmacy has strengthened my interest in enhancing patient care across primary care, where pharmacy is often the first point of contact, and through to the wider community.

As I will complete my pre-registration training as an independent prescriber, I am keen to be involved in the progressive approach to patient care.

Ima Whitehouse

I am a fourth-year pharmacy student at Swansea University.

It has been a privilege to study pharmacy over these past years and experience the changes, e.g. graduating as independent prescribers, that are improving the profession.

I am excited to discuss with others how a focus on self-care and prevention will impact patient outcomes. This is something I believe that pharmacists have a lot of untapped potential in contributing towards.