Inspiring innovation and leadership in professional pharmacy practice: reflections from the CPhO's keynote address 

We are still buzzing after the recent Clinical Pharmacy Congress in May! Thank you to the amazing speakers, partners and delegates who made the day so interesting and fruitful.   

We were delighted to welcome Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England, David Webb, who delivered an engaging keynote speech with invaluable updates and directions for the future of pharmacy practice.   

Within the breadth of topics covered, some of the core themes included the importance of strong pharmacy professional leadership, innovation and pharmacy practice developments, and efforts to optimise medicines for better patient outcomes.   

David began by extending his gratitude for the continued contributions of pharmacy professionals in the NHS and wider systems. He emphasised their unique yet critical role in healthcare delivery against the background of complex challenges. The key takeaway stressed the need for collaboration across all parts of the NHS to drive forward a ‘one team’ mentality, meet demands and find solutions.   

David emphasised the demand for strong professional leadership to navigate the increasingly complex healthcare landscape. The creation of the Primary Care Pharmacy Clinical Leadership Network and the Independent UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board, examples discussed by David, create a unified voice for pharmacy professionals to promote collaboration and the development of future leaders. In turn, David explains, this will enable high quality, system-wide patient care and prevention across the NHS.   

Collaboration and integration across sectors and organisations strengthen the position of pharmacy professionals in optimising medicines and delivering top patient care. David outlined the ongoing developments in pharmacy practice, including the potential benefits of supporting the introduction of innovative new medicines, further advanced technology medicinal products and genomics into mainstream practice.   

In discussing optimisation of medicines, David acknowledged the effects of standardisation and automation processes aimed at reducing overprescribing and continuing to ensure patient safety and quality improvement remain a priority.  

David reinforced the need for continuous professional development by outlining the exciting reforms to the initial education and training standards for pharmacists, alongside increased investment in independent prescribing training. This represents a great investment in the next generation of pharmacists, as part of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. Such innovation and practice developments are designed to help meet urgent demand for increased clinical skills, as well as providing quicker access to care for patients. Alongside this, David highlighted plans to grow the number of pharmacy technicians through expanded apprenticeship programmes. He emphasised the role these will play in addressing workforce shortages, enhancing patient care and increasing pharmacy technician responsibilities through opportunities to work under PGDs. 

Overall, the session provided a powerful call to action for pharmacy professionals to drive healthcare innovation and delivery. The session left attendees motivated to tackle the challenges ahead by emphasising the importance of continuous professional learning, leadership at all levels, and collaboration to unite the pharmacy team, drive integration and meet the evolving needs of patients and the healthcare system.   

Thank you again to David for his time and valuable insights. To listen to the full recording, and to find out more, please follow the link below:   https://tinyurl.com/DavidWebbKEYNOTE

*Please note that, unfortunately, only those registered to attend CPC London 2024 will have access to view the video, as it has been uploaded to our unique event app. We apologise for any inconvenience caused