New Pharmacy Minister appointed

The Department of Health and Social Care has confirmed the appointment of Jo Churchill as the new Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health and Primary Care, with responsibility for pharmacy.

Commenting on her appointment, Chair of RPS in England Claire Anderson said:

“We look forward to working with the new Minister and have written to her about how the pharmacy profession will be central to helping the NHS get the best value from medicines, improve patient safety, and reduce pressure on other parts of the health service.

“We will continue making the case that successfully delivering the NHS Long-Term Plan will now need investment in education and training to develop an adaptable and flexible workforce for the future.

“With the NHS People Plan aiming to make the NHS ‘the best place to work’, we hope that she builds on her predecessors’ recognition of the vital importance of supporting the health and wellbeing of pharmacists so that they can continue to provide safe and effective care.

“Steve Brine oversaw the introduction of a new criminal defence around inadvertent dispensing errors in registered pharmacies. We hope that Ms Churchill can now do the same for pharmacists working in hospitals and other settings.”