Independent UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board to strengthen collaboration

“We congratulate the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and its elected representatives, staff, members and fellows on their success in securing the support to establish a Royal College of Pharmacy. It’s a moment of great opportunity and celebration for pharmacy as a whole, enabling us to move forward with greater confidence and purpose.

“The next 12 months will be hugely important for pharmacy professional leadership, requiring even more collaboration, engagement and sure-footed delivery. As a Board, we’re ready to facilitate the conversation on next steps, so we can collectively establish a sustainable and effective model of pharmacy professional leadership with a process that is transparent, inclusive, and shaped by the needs of all pharmacy professionals.

“We welcome the commitment the RPS has made already to working closely with the Board in the co-creation of the royal college and look forward to early engagement on the principles of co-creation, processes and a clear roadmap.

“We’re committed to supporting exploration of potential options for pharmacy professional leadership, taking account of the royal college development, with members of pharmacy professional leadership bodies and specialist professional groups, key stakeholders and the whole pharmacy team so there is full discussion of options.

“In particular, we’ll actively seek early engagement with pharmacy technicians, specialist professional groups and wider professional groups, so we listen to their views and questions on the future model for pharmacy professional leadership and on the implications for them of the royal college, and ensure those who have not yet had a voice in these discussions are heard and considered in shaping the future.

“It is essential that we build on this momentum, working together with trust and openness to create a strong, unified and positive voice that truly reflects the breadth of pharmacy in the UK.”

To contact the Secretariat to the UK PPL Advisory Board please email: england.ukpplboard@nhs.net

By Sir Hugh Taylor, Independent Chair

It's heartening when a collective effort leads to a tangible outcome. In our recent Board meeting on 11 March 2025, we heard the results from the 10 ‘Big Conversation’ webinars held throughout February. The feedback involved more than 5,600 responses from pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, patients, the public and the wider UK pharmacy team on what should be included in a new vision and common purpose for future pharmacy professional leadership which the Board is developing.

Having considered and discussed the feedback as a Board, the eight professional leadership bodies (PLBs) and specialist professional groups (SPGs), which are Ex-Officio Board members, will now prepare to launch a final version of the commitments to you, as a framework for their ongoing collaborative pharmacy professional leadership across the UK.

They will continue to be supported by the 10 Independent Expert Members of the Board who are contributing their leadership knowledge and expertise to ensure we get this right for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians.

The vision consists of five themes, which we consulted on:

• Co-creating unified, effective and inclusive leadership
• Collaborating to achieve shared objectives
• Enhancing advocacy and public awareness
• Embracing advancements in practice to benefit patient care
• Prioritising education, innovation and research.

We were encouraged by the openness and thoughtfulness of the conversations across all 10 webinar events, and the obvious appetite for a more cohesive, ambitious and collaborative way of working in future. There was significant support for a stronger and more unified voice for pharmacy; a call to ensure that leadership is inclusive and representative of the whole pharmacy team; and a desire for a values-led approach to be adopted emphasising credibility, openness, transparency and fairness.

Participants across the UK told us what was important to them:

• On collaboration, they wanted aligned objectives, shared resources and a reduction in duplication to drive improvements to patient care and outcomes.
• On advocacy and public awareness, they highlighted the need for professional leadership organisations to focus on working with the public to educate about the breadth of pharmacy team roles, and to achieve greater influence with Government, regulators, employers and other stakeholders.
• On advancements in practice, they wanted their professional leadership to become leaders in improving equitable care for patients, as well as access to opportunities for professional fulfilment to enable future proofing for their careers.
• On education, innovation and research, they asked for more support – career frameworks, guidance, training, funding – and they wanted education and research to be incorporated into their roles as part of their practice to help make pharmacy careers more attractive.

There was widespread recognition of the challenges – and opportunities – that lie ahead; and the need for adequate training and support to embrace these changes head on. And what came across very strongly was the immense pride in the standard and reach of pharmacy in the UK, and the commitment to providing the best possible care for patients.

It came through loud and clear in all the feedback we received, that what pharmacy teams do matters to you because it benefits patients and communities. They are the reason we do what we do and must remain at its heart as we move forward.

The commitments under each theme are currently being considered by the leadership councils, or equivalent, of the eight bodies, to enable formal adoption ahead of publication in June.

Pharmacy professional leaders will need to ensure that the commitments are more than just words, that as we move forward they are made meaningful for members including, I hope, all those who make the choice to become members of a professional body as a result.

From June the PLBs and SPGs will take the vision and common purpose commitments on the road, to team meetings, conferences, events and other forums, speaking to people, engaging with professionals, and promoting the importance and benefits of professional leadership to everyone.

Of course, by then we will know the result of the vote on the creation of a Royal College for Pharmacy – which will be announced later this month – and the next steps towards co-creation of the future with Board members. Following our statement of support in early March, at the Board meeting we discussed again the opportunities the Royal College proposal presents for the pharmacy professions, to strengthen their voice, foster unity, and catalyse lasting change, really delivering on the benefits people have told us they want.

The Board also had a very positive discussion about another key piece of work – a conversation about supporting pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in developing their professional practice to its full potential. You can read more about this interesting development in the meeting statement which is published alongside this blog. As a next step we agreed to set up a Working Group and to develop real-world case studies for consideration, and there will also be an Expert Advisory Group. This work on scopes of practice will be forward looking, with the emphasis on future proofing by making them skills based.

In this endeavour and our goal of creating a sustainable and effective future for pharmacy professional leadership, let’s join together to support a positive outcome that is built on collaboration, trust, openness and excellence.

The proposal to establish a Royal College of Pharmacy is an historic opportunity to raise the profile of pharmacy in the UK for the long-term. This would help to fulfil the aspirations of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and all in the UK who wish to see pharmacy realise its potential in healthcare.

It has the potential to catalyse, deepen and focus collaboration across pharmacy professional leadership bodies and specialist professional groups as we work collectively towards a sustainable model of professional leadership (which a royal college could represent if we get this right). That is one of the key missions of our Board – which includes pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and patient and public representation – which we have been working towards since establishment in April 2024. We therefore welcome the commitment of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society to work closely with the Board in the co-creation of the royal college if its members support this proposal.

A positive vote is important to establish the royal college as the starting point for:

• Open discussions to support a more effective and collaborative approach to pharmacy professional leadership.
• A stronger voice for pharmacy
• More proactive and systematic engagement with patients and the public
• Enabling a step change in the collective support, development and engagement for individual professionals and the wider pharmacy team towards improved career progression and greater professional satisfaction.

The outcome of this vote matters to all professionals working in pharmacy and to the whole pharmacy team. Greater unity would ultimately deliver the stronger professional leadership voice, recognition, representation and strategic direction that we believe is needed and ultimately bring an end to division and fragmentation.

To contact the Secretariat to the UK PPL Advisory Board please email: england.ukpplboard@nhs.net

The UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board (UKPPLAB) is launching a ‘Big Conversation’ as part of a groundbreaking collaborative approach to shaping pharmacy professional leadership for the future.

‘Enabling us to be the best that pharmacy can be’ webinars will be held across the UK from 3 to 25 February 2025, giving pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and wider pharmacy team members an opportunity to have their say on a proposed vision and common purpose for pharmacy professional leadership.

To join, choose from the list of webinars below and click the link for details and to sign up. You don’t have to be a member of a professional leadership body or specialist professional group to join a webinar. All webinars are open to everyone.

Mon 3 Feb, 6-7.15pm UKPPLAB (England)

Tues 4 Feb, 12.15-1.30pm College of Mental Health Pharmacy

Wed 5 Feb, 12.15-1.30pm Primary Care Pharmacy Association

Thurs 6 Feb, 4-5.15pm UKPPLAB (Scotland)

Mon 10 Feb, 4-5.15pm UKPPLAB (Wales)

Tues 11 Feb, 4-5.15pm UK Clinical Pharmacy Association

Wed 12 Feb, 4-5.15pm British Oncology Pharmacy Association

Thurs 13 Feb, 4-5.15pm UKPPLAB (Public and Patient Group)

Mon 24 Feb, 12.15-1.30pm Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK

Tues 25 Feb, 7-8.15pm Pharmacy Forum Northern Ireland

The UKPPLAB - made up of eight pharmacy professional leadership bodies (PLBs) and specialist professional groups (SPGs), and independent expert members - was set up in response to the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership. In a first for pharmacy, Board members are co-creating shared principles for inclusive, effective and sustainable leadership that will help enable PLBs and SPGs to meet the opportunities and challenges of the future.

“The world of pharmacy is changing at an unprecedented pace, and we believe it’s crucial to involve the whole pharmacy team in shaping what comes next for leadership of the professions,” said UKPPLAB Independent Chair, Sir Hugh Taylor.

“By hosting these webinars, we’re creating a platform where voices from across the UK can come together to give their views and ensure that vision and common purpose for pharmacy professional leadership of the future is inclusive and effective with collaboration at its core.”

The series of webinars, open to everyone working in pharmacy, will feature Board members from across the professions who will lead discussions on the vision for professional leadership and the importance of collaboration across organisations, sectors and geographies.

Joan Saddler, Chair of the UKPPLAB Patient and Public Reference Group, “I see the webinars as an opportunity to capture a wide range of views. At a time of significant planned change, where care and support closer to home will become increasingly important for patients and the public, the role of leaders working with and through communities will become even more important to patients and the public. Pharmacy leaders can help communities access services more quickly in ways that meet the needs of different communities. It's important that we hear everyone’s views. Please get involved, we need to hear from you."

Feedback from this national conversation will be considered by the Board in March 2025 and a final, updated vision and common purpose will be published in Summer 2025.

The first webinar will take place on Monday 3 February and will be followed by a series of online sessions throughout February. Participants can register for any of the webinars at https://jointheconversation.scwcsu.nhs.uk/pharmacy-professional-leadership

Comments from Board members included:
“APTUK is delighted to be collaborating on the shared vision and common purpose of the UKPPLAB and will continue to professionally lead on behalf of pharmacy technicians, ensuring parity of esteem in future-facing pharmacy strategy and workstreams.”
Nicola Stockmann, President, Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK.

“The UKPPLAB is an opportunity for our pharmacy professional leadership bodies, specialist professional groups and the wider pharmacy team to collaborate and work together for our profession and our patients. With our joint vision - which embraces unified and inclusive leadership, advocacy and public awareness and aspires to be a unified and powerful voice for our pharmacy profession – we will endeavour to co-design a shared vision for professional leadership which we are all proud of, that will enable us to be the best that pharmacy can be.”
Joe Williams, Chair, British Oncology Pharmacy Association

"Pharmacy students have a unique perspective that can help shape the future of professional leadership. By engaging in this conversation, you're not just sharing your opinion - you're helping to create a stronger, more unified leadership that will benefit patients and everyone working in pharmacy now and in the future."
Emeka Onwudiwe, President, British Pharmaceutical Students’ Association

Now is a very important time for all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to have their say in the future of pharmacy professional leadership in the UK. I would encourage everyone to get involved in the conversation, whatever memberships you may or may not have in pharmacy leadership bodies or specialist interest groups. This is a rare opportunity to input your views into a shared, unified and collaborative voice for UK pharmacy with the aim of directly improved outcomes for patients.
Karen Shuker, President, College of Mental Health Pharmacy

"The UKPPLAB provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to catalyse real and lasting changes to pharmacy leadership across all four nations in the UK. Speaking to hardworking colleagues providing patient facing services across different settings, a commonly reported theme has been a disconnect between pharmacy leadership organisations and their working lives. We must ensure we co-design meaningful leadership and representative organisations that offer practical and accessible support for pharmacy professionals throughout their working lives. I would encourage all colleagues to engage and contribute in the coming months to ensure we create strong and robust pharmacy leadership for the future."
Graham Stretch, President, Primary Care Pharmacy Association

“The UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board is a wonderful opportunity for professional leadership bodies and specialist professional groups to collaborate and work together to support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Along with the help of expert members, the UKPPLAB will be ready to tackle the challenges ahead in a cohesive and effective manner ensuring all voices from the pharmacy sector are heard and empowered.”
Sheelin McKeagney, Chair, Pharmacy Forum Northern Ireland

“Professional leadership strengthens the entire pharmacy ecosystem, and this draft Vision and Common Purpose for pharmacy professional leadership, which has been developed by members of the UKPPLAB Board working closely together, demonstrates the importance of open and effective collaboration. More collaborative leadership for pharmacy is something that will benefit our organisations today and shape the landscape for years to come.”

Claire Anderson, President, Royal Pharmaceutical Society

“The future of UK healthcare is dependent on collaborative and multiprofessional working to ensure better outcomes and experience for our patients. Where better to cement this first than within our own professions? The UKPPLAB offers us a once-in-a-career opportunity to bring everyone together, with unified direction, renewed purpose, and professional standards and development that we will be proud of amongst health and care professions, and that our patients and public can rely on.”
John Warburton, Chair, UK Clinical Pharmacy Association

About UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board:
The UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board was established in 2023 to strengthen collaboration between pharmacy professional leadership bodies and specialist professional groups, enabling and supporting pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to meet the opportunities and challenges ahead.

The independent Board, chaired by Sir Hugh Taylor, includes 21 members who bring a wide range of expertise and experience. Over three years, the Board will lead the implementation of recommendations from the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership’s report, published in February 2023.

Media Contact:
UKPPLAB Secretariat: england.ukpplboard@nhs.net

Following recommendations made in the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership report, the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board has been set up to reinvigorate pharmacy professional leadership (PPL) and explore a more collaborative and inclusive approach for the future.

All eight professional organisations represented on the Board have worked together to draft a Vision and Common Purpose for the future of PPL. One that embodies the principles of collaboration, inclusivity and excellence, and will enable pharmacy to be the best that it can be.

The Board members will be leading a UK-wide conversation to listen to the views of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and the wider pharmacy community in early 2025 to ensure this Vision and Common Purpose is meaningful to everyone working in pharmacy across the UK. Follow us on LinkedIn for more on this.

By Sir Hugh Taylor, Independent Chair of the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board

Our Board meeting on 10th December 2024 provided a good opportunity to reflect on the work of the Board over the past year. We have taken important steps forward and the progress we have made is testament to our joint commitment to openness, transparency and collaboration.

This year, we have reached out to more stakeholders through the Pharmacy Stakeholder Forum and Patient and Public Reference Group. Both have provided excellent contributions to discussions and useful challenges to our work. We know that patients and the public have the potential to be pharmacy’s greatest advocates, and we are pleased the meetings have given us a sense of just how important pharmacy is to them.

The Programme Sub-Committee met for the first time in November. It has continued the work of the Board in taking forward the UK Commission's findings, prioritising work around education and training for post-registration pharmacy technicians and for newly qualified pharmacists with prescribing rights, and a fresh look at issues around professional standards and scope of practice.

We have also embraced opportunities to speak out as a collective body, responding to both the NHS 10-Year Health Plan engagement exercise for England and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS) announcement of its proposed Royal College for Pharmacy. This is something we must continue to do, to build confidence in – and an understanding of – our role as an advisory Board.

We are all committed to working together to co-create a new, sustainable and inclusive model for pharmacy professional leadership (PPL) in the future. We recognise that the RPS’s proposals are a potentially important step in that direction: enabling the RPS to create, as a minimum, a more flexible, adaptable, outward-looking governance model that facilitates future UK-wide collaboration.

That is of course a matter for RPS members to decide. But the prospect of a Royal College that seeks to represent wider pharmacy is clearly an opportunity to be bigger, bolder and more all-embracing in our approach to collective pharmacy leadership in the future. As and when that time comes, which we hope it will, it will have implications for all the pharmacy organisations on our Board – and beyond.

That is where the Board comes in. Co-creation of such a model, whatever final form it takes, is not a 'nice to have'. It is a condition of success. It requires clarity on process; opportunity for all parties to engage, contribute and agree an inclusive way forward that works for everyone; sensitivity to different national and professional interests; and the meaningful engagement of patients and the public.

All this is within the Board’s remit to promote and facilitate; and the RPS has confirmed its openness to work with the Board and all its members on this basis, as and when the time comes: an opportunity that all the members of the Board welcomed.

Crucially a future model would need to appeal to all those who have currently chosen not to be a member of a professional leadership body (PLB) or specialist professional group (SPG). Therefore, the Board’s collective job is actively to find a way to make professional leadership mean something to everyone working in pharmacy across the UK. A major development at this Board meeting was the approval of a national engagement exercise on a draft Vision and Common Purpose for PPL as a means for beginning this important piece of work.

Members of the Board’s Communications and Engagement Sub-Committee have worked together to create a proposed Vision and Common Purpose and – in a first for pharmacy – the engagement activity in February 2025 will be led collectively by the eight PLBs and SPGs. The whole approach is grounded in collaboration, and we hope this UK-wide conversation sets the tone for the wider change we hope to achieve. We look forward to hearing the feedback at the next Board meeting in March.

Collaborative leadership for pharmacy is something that will not only benefit our organisations today but will shape the landscape for years to come. Although the route is still to be determined and there will, no doubt, be bumps along the way, we must not lose sight of our destination.

As a Board, we are building trust among organisations. We are working at a good pace, focusing on the important work relating to education and training, professional standards and scope of practice, and having open and constructive conversations. I look forward to seeing how these conversations evolve over the coming months as we move towards a more unified and collaborative UK-wide future that enables pharmacy to be the best it can be, recognised nationally and internationally.

By Sir Hugh Taylor, Independent Chair of the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board

Our third Board meeting on 10 September 2024 was positive and encouraging and marked the beginning of discussions about creating an effective and sustainable structure for pharmacy professional leadership (PPL) – one of the two overarching functions of the Board in line with the recommendations of the UK Commission’s report.

Underpinning the work of the Board is the importance of engagement and feedback from patients and the public, a position underscored by our Patient and Public Reference Group. This diverse group of representatives attended a first meeting in August and agreed their involvement in key areas of the work of the Board.

We heard powerful presentations from the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK) and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS). The RPS outlined its intention to become a Royal College of Pharmacy, which requires a change to its current constitution and governance. This will necessitate a vote by members and approval by the Privy Council before its Royal Charter could be updated.

The proposals include becoming a charity with independent trustees on the Board, increasing the focus on patients and the public, providing greater equity to the devolved nations, strengthening and increasing the flexibility of governance arrangements, as well as enhancing pharmacy’s authority through royal college status.

APTUK presented its dynamic vision for the future – highlighting the drive for parity of esteem between pharmacy technicians and pharmacists, an approach that equally values the skills, expertise and contribution of all pharmacy professionals and the wider pharmacy team. The future shape of PPL must recognise the central importance of equality and equity – being invited to the table is important but people must also be able to meaningfully participate. Visible commitment to working practically towards shared goals in a collaborative way also requires transparency as a very important principle to which we should adhere.

Board members recognised the scale and ambition of the RPS’s proposals and that, while it is too early to explore this now, the RPS plans create the potential for and enable future collaboration across pharmacy professional leadership bodies (PLBs) and specialist professional groups (SPGs), should members wish to explore this at a future date.

Board members also supported the aspirations of APTUK and the many strengths which it clearly brings to the table. Parity of esteem is a must do. Members of both professions work closely together in teams every day of the week; and the Board recognises it has a vital role to play in reflecting that spirit of collaboration at national level: building trust through a commitment to transparency across the PLBs and SPGs, enabling them to work together to co-create the future model of pharmacy professional leadership.

It was helpful to hear of others’ experiences from Dr Jeanette Dickson, Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, and a UK PPL Advisory Board member. In a valuable presentation, she covered the varied models of professional leadership among medical royal colleges and these learnings provided constructive support to the pharmacy PLBs and SPGs – which is what this Board is about. We’re here to facilitate and support, guide and advise. Decisions are made by the bodies themselves.

It will be important to think about how as a Board we can help to lay the groundwork needed for further collaboration. The two Sub-Committees we are establishing – described in detail in the September meeting statement – will play an important role in establishing working level collaboration and enabling greater transparency.

These are the first steps in a long journey but it has been encouraging to see the wealth of talent we have in PPL at our three Board meetings so far. Leaders will need to continue to step up for the greater good and pulling the strengths of our PPL together is a prize really worth working for.

In the next phase I believe the Board can really help by thinking about a vision and common purpose for PPL. As we know, values, vision and purpose are crucial to bring people together in any organisation. We shouldn’t lose sight of why we are doing this – and we should continue to engage with the wider group of people who will ultimately benefit, including patients, pharmacy professionals and other healthcare colleagues. Having a clarity of purpose will also help us deal with the knotty issues that inevitably arise as we get down to the detail.

Watch this space as we start to develop an engagement exercise which will be our next step into this new world.

UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board Statement

12 September 2024

“The UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board was set up to support and steer the transition to a sustainable and effective structure of pharmacy professional leadership across the UK over a period of 3-5 years.

“We support the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in its proposals for a new constitution and governance framework as a positive and enabling step on a journey towards the Board’s ambition.

“Successfully realising this ambition in full over time will depend on sustaining inclusive and close collaboration and an ongoing commitment to transparency.

“The Board will continue to work closely with the professional leadership bodies and specialist professional groups in co-creating the next steps of the journey to help facilitate a positive future for pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and wider pharmacy teams. We encourage RPS members to engage positively with the consultation as we all develop pharmacy professional leadership in the interests of patients, the public and the professions.”

For further information: Independent UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board to strengthen collaboration | Join the Conversation (scwcsu.nhs.uk)

Contact email: england.ukpplboard@nhs.net

By Sir Hugh Taylor, Independent Chair of the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board

Since our first meeting in April, Board members have been working in short-life groups to explore the five themes of the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership’s report.

The overarching theme from the meeting, and the main takeaway for me, was the central importance of collaboration. For our Board’s work to be a success, and to really benefit patients, the public and pharmacy professionals, a close working relationship between the different PLBs and SPGs is essential. These organisations are much stronger together and this combined voice reflects the richness and diversity of pharmacy professional leadership.

We kicked off our second meeting in July with a discussion about professional and regulatory standards which looked at how we can strengthen clinical practice and support professionals to achieve their potential. An ongoing theme of our work is the value and importance of collaboration both within the pharmacy professions and with other healthcare professions. One independent expert member (IEM) commented on how the professional leadership body (PLB) and specialist professional group (SPG) Board members could work more closely together to identify gaps in the current guidance. Another IEM talked about the importance of professional leadership in maintaining high quality care and patient safety as the clinical role of pharmacy professionals develops – most recently with pharmacy technicians being able to work under patient group directions. What came across to me was the need for greater facilitation of governance linking the pharmacy regulators with professional bodies. The role of our Board is to support these organisations in helping to ensure that professional standards reflect and keep pace with the ongoing changes in pharmacy practice and the needs of health services and patients.

Next, we turned to the central topic of professional education and training. PLBs and SPGs play a crucial role in education and training – and we discussed how pharmacy professionals who are not members of these organisations can benefit from their advice and support. One Ex-Officio member highlighted how the Board now needs to focus on the post-registration development of pharmacy technicians and, from 2026, the introduction of independent prescribing for all newly qualified pharmacists. In relation to pharmacy technicians, another Ex-Officio member discussed the work that is taking place to develop post-registration pharmacy technician practice and how they would welcome the Board’s support and input with this. Again, the theme of strengthening collaboration was highlighted – particularly across the four countries of the UK.

One IEM reminded us of the importance of recognising the achievements of all four UK nations. He also shared a story from their own experience, as a community pharmacist, with one year’s experience as an independent prescriber (IP), that really places patients at the heart of what we are doing. Working to the principles of his IP

training, he recognised that a woman in her 60s who visited his pharmacy on a Saturday was seriously ill. The way he responded – including liaising with the local hospital and out of hours service – led to the woman being treated for a ruptured gall bladder, which is a potentially life-threatening condition. Several days later a local resident told him: “I believe you saved that woman’s life!” This story really underlines the importance of community pharmacy and I want our Board’s collective efforts to support better engagement with this sector.

We then discussed scope of practice for future pharmacy professionals. This is a huge and challenging topic, especially in the midst of so many rapid developments in pharmacy and healthcare in general. We need to describe the big picture and future proof so we don’t have to keep redefining professional roles. Horizon scanning is really important here, both for our Board and the organisations involved, and across the four UK nations.

One IEM made a crucial point about celebrating the differences between our professional identities as pharmacy technicians and pharmacists. Another said that patients and the public often do not understand the difference between professional pharmacy roles – we need to communicate better to make sure they do. An Ex-Officio member stressed the importance of moving pharmacy into the multi-disciplinary space and engaging better with those in other clinical roles. From our discussions it was clear that we need to give more confidence to patients and the public about what pharmacy professionals can do and work more closely with the pharmacy regulators to support new developments in practice.

On engagement we agreed to set up a sub-committee to support the PLBs and SPGs in engaging more proactively to promote the importance of pharmacy professional leadership and organisations that support it. It really is important that this collaborative work is visible to pharmacists and pharmacy technicians which will help generate confidence that things are moving in the right direction.

I took some time to introduce the subject of our next meeting in September which will be to start the work on developing a sustainable and effective structure for pharmacy professional leadership in the UK. Or in other words, the future direction. It’s important we begin to get into this debate and generate some pace given the limited timeframe of the Board. The first step will be to share information about the PLBs and SPGs with the Board, and for PLB and SPG leaders to put forward their initial thinking, as a starter for the discussions.

Bodies and the Board will need to be honest with themselves and the Board, and not draw ‘red lines’ at this stage. Ultimately, we all need to increase the number of pharmacy professionals who choose to be a member of a professional body. I know the over-riding commitment to collaboration is already there. We need to both understand we’re not here to solve the problems of the past, but to focus relentlessly on developing top-notch pharmacy professional leadership that is well organised and well supported by professionals in the field.

By Sir Hugh Taylor, Independent Chair of the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board

It was great to get started on our task at the first meeting of the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board on 23 April. I’m relatively new to pharmacy and it’s fascinating to bring my experience of working with professional leadership bodies when Permanent Secretary of the Department of Health and Social Care and Chair of a London hospital trust to this new endeavour. I’m very pleased to have been asked to get involved – because it’s so important to the people of the UK.

The Board includes people with a fantastic range of expertise and experience and our first meeting was an opportunity for them to share their insights and begin to shape the work programme we will lead. They are clearly enthusiastic about the task ahead and have a great deal of ambition for representing all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and making pharmacy professional leadership the most effective it can be.

And that’s a critical point – they are not on the Board to represent a sector or specialism. The Ex-Officio and Independent Expert Members are on the Board to represent all pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. We are all aware that we need to avoid narrow and divisive approaches when it comes to professional leadership. It doesn’t help pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working on the ground, because you work in teams, you collaborate and increasingly integrate across sectors as patients move through NHS pathways of care.

In my experience, there is no perfect model out there of a professional leadership body in healthcare. However, what we have here is a great opportunity for pharmacy to shape a model of professional leadership that others can look to as an example of best practice.

Although professional leaders will never be immune from criticism, they ultimately need credibility. Honesty, integrity and credibility really matter for leaders – whether they are engaging with their fellow professionals or other stakeholders such as the public, regulators or the Government. The importance of how professional leaders are viewed by the wider pharmacy professions was highlighted by an Ex-Officio Member of a professional leadership body – she said that leaders must be trusted by those they represent. There’s no doubt that the next three years hold a variety of opportunities and challenges for pharmacy. Professional leaders need to demonstrate an awareness and understanding of what these mean for pharmacy professionals in their day-to-day roles.

Clarity of vision and purpose is crucial for pharmacy professional leadership. Whether it’s the ageing population, life expectancy beginning to decline, rising demand for NHS services, or exciting advances in medicines, genomics and technology, we need to be clear on how pharmacy will respond. And I strongly believe that pharmacy’s profile needs to be higher. It should be seen as a national asset. Are we talking about pharmacy enough to other healthcare professionals? Pride goes hand in hand with professionalism, and the role of professional leaders is to build pride. Leaders also need to show a commitment to embodying those values that focus on the needs of patients and the public, and the importance of clinical excellence. In the best places I have worked over the years, staff have been able to tell you what the organisation’s values are.

Another vital aspect of good professional leadership is what I call ‘restlessness to keep improving’. This is about leaders championing leading edge clinical practice, along with the availability of education and training for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians throughout their careers. It is the role of professional leaders to set an example by pushing the boundaries. Related to this is a strong focus on research and innovation – leaders need to support people to keep pace with the major changes ahead in medicines and technology. In our rewarding discussions at the meeting, one Independent Expert Member emphasised the importance of staying curious as this leads to innovation and improvement. Another cited how we really need to be brave and do things differently.

My final characteristic of good professional leadership is a visible and systematic commitment to collaboration and partnership. This is tricky to get right – ensuring that pharmacy excels in its role as a team and system player. This means more effective collaboration between the pharmacy professions, with other healthcare professionals, the wider healthcare system, and working in partnership with patients and the public. Here the Board’s Patient and Public Reference Group will play a pivotal role.

Board members discussed how professional leaders should empower, inspire and engage effectively with pharmacists and pharmacy technicians – and that this applies to the whole, diverse pharmacy family, including its unregistered members. One Independent Expert Member said he hoped that this effective engagement would lead to a greater sense of belonging and inclusion amongst pharmacy professionals.

Ultimately the aim of the Board’s work is to be more than the sum of our parts in moving forward at pace this exciting vision for pharmacy professional leadership over our three-year timeframe. While this will be hugely challenging for us all, and wider professional colleagues, I am confident that, with the reflections shared by our Board members at the meeting, and their commitment to making these aspirations a reality, pharmacy professional leadership has a positive and inspiring future.