Recently, PDA staff, Reps, and members attended a drop-in event in the Scottish Parliament to raise awareness of the role of pharmacists and explain how, by working in a range of settings, they are supporting the NHS and patients. Pharmacists working in primary care, community pharmacy, mental health, specialist drug and alcohol services, and a pharmacy student engaged over 30 members of Scottish Parliament (MSPs) in discussions about their role, and how policy improvements could be made to enhance their future impact and involvement in Scotland’s healthcare system.
Maurice Hickey, PDA Head of Policy in Scotland said, “On behalf of the PDA, I’d like to thank Jackie Baillie MSP for facilitating this event at Holyrood, it was an uplifting experience for the members who took part. The team left the MSPs who attended better informed not only about what pharmacists do and can do, and not what others say we can do, but opened their eyes to the varieties of roles we routinely undertake, and the breadth of spread pharmacists have across all health settings in Scotland.”
Jackie Baillie MSP, Scottish Labour’s Health Spokesperson, said, “It was a pleasure to welcome The Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) to the Scottish Parliament and introduce MSPs to the valuable work they do.
Pharmacists can play a key role in securing the future of the NHS, it’s essential they get the support they need to keep their vital services available to every community across Scotland.”
Paul Flynn, PDA National Officer for Scotland explained, “PDA members were able to share with MSP’s the reality they face in their workplace, burgeoning demand vs limited resources, limited opportunity for locum work for fair reward, inefficient and oft inaccessible I.T. systems and, some Scottish pharmacy students having to move country to be able to complete their foundation training year and join the workforce are examples.
Our members want to help patients feel at their best and effectively manage their own health at home wherever possible. It is a significant benefit to pharmacists in Scotland that we have been able to articulate these situations, and frustrations directly to those who can affect the changes we need to enable us to deliver the standard of care we aspire to give our patients. I’d warmly encourage all our members to get involved and find their voice through their union.”
Maurice concluded, “It is vital that a range of pharmacists’ voices are heard when options are being considered about how services might be configured in the future. As the largest independent membership body for pharmacists in Scotland and across the UK, the PDA will continue to raise these, and other important issues on behalf of individual pharmacists, students and trainees.”
From left to right, Paul Flynn, PDA National Officer Scotland, Jenny Minto Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Argyll and Bute and Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, Isla Shah, Pharmacy Student at Strathclyde University, and Maurice Hickey, PDA Head of Policy Scotland.
From left to right, Paul Flynn, PDA National Officer Scotland, Isla Shah, Pharmacy Student at Strathclyde University, Sade Abiola, Senior Clinical Pharmacist at mental health and community hospitals NHS Fife, Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour’s Deputy Leader, Health spokesperson and Dumbarton Constituency MSP, Julie Hutchison, Advanced Pharmacist Prescriber, GGC Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services, and Maurice Hickey, PDA Head of Policy Scotland.
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