Principal guest Sir Kevin Barron urged that the potential of pharmacists to promote the health of the public be exploited. The big public health issue today, he said, concerned the lifestyle of individuals; and pharmacists could do more to target that.

Sir Kevin recalled that he had been active in the public health field over a number of years and went on: “There is one thing that frightens me and frightens a lot of people. It is not the old things like sanitation and fresh water; it is individual lifestyle. It is my view that the health professions must move from an ill- health service to a pro-health service.”

GPs were often talked about as the gate- keepers of the health service, but the real gate- keepers were the pharmacists who were available to give advice on a walk-in basis at any time. Pharmacies had an important role in supplying dispensed medicines but they had the potential to do much more than that for the health of the population. Some 12 per cent were healthy living pharmacies, but they needed to grow in numbers.

Sir Kevin disclosed that he had been approached by the former chairman of the APPG, Dr Howard Stoate, to take over as chairman when Dr Stoate left Parliament in 2010. He said he would do it provided he could be a voice for widening the role of pharmacists and using them as real gatekeepers to look after the health of the population.

Sir Kevin said that the awards ceremony had shown what pharmacists were capable of. He commended Mr Corry for his free health checks on a Saturday morning for working people. That was what was wanted in the 21st century to stem the tide of ill health.

On mental health

He noted a team member’s interest in mental health at Priory Pharmacy. Mental health was a “big neglect” in the health service and the initiative being shown at the pharmacy was “fantastic”. He also commended West Elloe pharmacy, where staff developed special interests in health issues.

Sir Kevin praised Gary Jones for his use of IT and expressed the hope that IT would be further exploited through providing pharmacists with access to patient records, which had been delayed for too long. He also noted Damien Atherton’s domiciliary work with dementia patients. That was the kind of thing this country was going to be crying out for in the years to come, he said.

The five award winners had shown the way forward, said Sir Kevin. He added: “This is where pharmacists should be in the 21st century, helping people before they get anywhere near any other health professional. They should be recognised for it and be paid for it if it is done well.”

Sir Kevin Barron: “This is where pharmacists should be in the 21st century, helping people before they get anywhere near any other health professional”