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The significance of integration

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The significance of integration

Integrating pharmacy into the wider NHS is a key current issue, Dr Bruce Warner (deputy chief pharmaceutical officer at NHS England) made clear his address at the Independent Pharmacy Awards ceremony.

“Integration” was a word that was in vogue at the moment, he declared. A really good example of this, he went on, was Buxted Pharmacy, where the pharmacy is within a doctors’ surgery. Pharmacist Paul Scott-Harris attended clinical meetings, had access to patients’ notes and actually wrote in those notes as well.

Dr Bruce Warner spoke of the winners' "fantastic work"

“That is fantastic. And what a difference that can make to patients’ results,” Dr Warner said.

Speaking after presenting the awards, Dr Warner declared that he felt genuinely humbled when he heard about “the fantastic work” that everyone was doing. He went on: “My heartfelt congratulations to every one of our winners today. They are a credit to our profession.”

Dr Warner said that he was often asked what was the added value that pharmacy provided. He declared: “The individual examples we have heard today epitomise that value.”

He had been heartened to read the citations for each award. It was fantastic
to not just see pharmacists recognised, but also their teams.

Dr Warner said: “We often talk generically about pharmacists. I like to think that, when we do that, we mean the entire pharmacy team. None of us as pharmacists could do our jobs without the support of the teams around us.”

Medicines optimisation was something that took up a lot of time in his day job, Dr Warner said. It was essentially about putting the patient at the centre of what pharmacists did. Laura Sharp did this on a daily basis.

So did Ade Williams. And it was heartening to see pharmacy staff making things happen – not sitting back for other people to do it for them. “Going that extra mile and making a massive difference to patients’ lives.”

Referring to the team at Fishers Chemist in South Norwood, Dr Warner said: “What a great example of an organisation that really believes in developing its staff and realising that its staff are its most valuable asset.”

Dr Warner added: “Every award we have heard about today and everybody we have heard speak is an absolute credit to our profession.”

He said: “There are many down sides to my job but today is not one of them.

To come here and join in a celebration for pharmacy as a whole and independents especially is an absolute pleasure.

“What we have heard about today ... must not be lost. Looking to the future and to a more clinically oriented service the human element will continue to remain important.”

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