A pharmacist from Scotland, Jennifer Laskey, has been appointed Scotland’s first consultant pharmacist by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Jennifer successfully demonstrated her consultant-level practice through a rigorous portfolio assessment and her post was successfully approved and is listed on the RPS consultant pharmacist post directory.
Consultant pharmacists are clinical leaders in the profession, working beyond traditional boundaries to influence pharmaceutical practice and patient care across the healthcare system. To be eligible to use the consultant pharmacist title, individuals must be credentialed by the RPS and be working in an RPS-approved consultant post. This process ensures standardisation across the UK for patients and the system. To be credentialled as consultant-ready, an individual must demonstrate cross-boundary working and leadership across the four pillars of practice: clinical practice, leadership & management, education & research.
Jennifer’s new role will be supporting the West of Scotland Cancer network. She will be working to ensure patients across community, primary and acute settings have access to the highest quality care, with her work focusing on driving improvement outcomes and survival rates.
Speaking about her appointment, Jennifer said:
“To be appointed as the first consultant pharmacist in Scotland is a highly significant landmark for the pharmacy profession.
“Cancer remains an important health priority, affecting 1 in 2 people, and with improving survival rates, an increasing number of people are living with cancer.
“Within my role, I am working across community, primary and acute care sectors to ensure that people in Scotland can access excellent cancer care now and, in the future.”
Joseph Oakley, Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Associate Director of Assessment and Credentialling said:
“I am delighted that Jennifer has been appointed to Scotland’s first consultant pharmacist post. This is a major recognition of Jennifer’s significant expertise and experience across the four pillars of practice at a system level as well as a recognition of the significant role consultant pharmacists can play in improving patient care.
"This is also a hugely welcome endorsement of our rigorous process, which the whole team at Royal Pharmaceutical Society, as well as our dedicated pool of assessors, works so hard to deliver on behalf of the profession and patients.
"I know Jennifer’s appointment will go a long way to improving health outcomes for cancer patients in the West of Scotland, and I hope this is the first of many similar appointments across Scotland.”
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