Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

RPS Scotland presents best practice award to a pharmacist from NHS Tayside

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) presented the best practice award to a pharmacist from NHS Tayside at an event on May 29 which celebrated pharmacy practice across Scotland.

The Glasgow event, organized by RPS, brought together pharmacists from across the country to present their own best-practice examples.


These included all sectors of pharmacy, including hospital, GP practices, community and specialist settings.

Delegates at the event were asked to vote for what they considered to be the winning example of best practice. Alex Matos, specialist clinical pharmacist, won the award for his presentation on ‘Implementing Pharmacogenomics in the Stroke Service’.

Alex won a £500 bursary for travel and accommodation to the RPS’s annual conference in London, where he has been invited to present on his best practice example.

Alex faced strong competition as nineteen cutting edge examples were shared at the event, including:

  • Pharmacist prescribing of antivirals for Covid.
  • Transforming hospital discharge through community pharmacy medicines supply.
  • Enhancing surgical capacity through Pharmacist remote consultations.
  • Pharmacist led mindfulness for pain.

The event’s theme of celebration was underpinned by RPS Scotland’s vision for the future of pharmacy, Pharmacy 2030.  In the afternoon, influential organizations from across Scotland with an interest in pharmacy, came together for an open discussion on how to achieve change to make the future vision a reality.

Speaking about the event, Clare Morrison, RPS director for Scotland, said: “Huge congratulations to Alex for presenting the winning example of best practice at yesterday’s event. His presentation was hugely impressive, as were all the fantastic examples shared from across Scotland.

"It was great to meet with so many colleagues from around Scotland, and to share and celebrate their wonderful successes and innovations.

"The atmosphere was terrific, and it was wonderful to see everyone being so enthusiastic about the hard work that pharmacists from across Scotland are engaged in to ensure excellent patient care.

“I’m really excited to utilise the collective enthusiasm and energy that we have seen today, in the coming weeks and months, as we work towards making our fantastic Pharmacy 2030 vision a reality.”

More For You

Mike Hewitson, superintendent pharmacist & managing director of Beaminster Pharmacy

Mike Hewitson elected as NPA board member for England

Mike Hewitson elected as NPA board member for England: New term begins April

Mike Hewitson, superintendent pharmacist & managing director ofBeaminster Pharmacy, has been elected as the next National Pharmacy Association (NPA) board member for England.

Since 2023, Hewitson has served as chair of Community Pharmacy Dorset. He is also a member of Somerset Council and a Non-Executive Director at HubRx.

Keep ReadingShow less
Store closures 2024: Chemists among hardest hit

Over 600 chemist shops belonging to multiples and chains were closed last year

Getty Images

35 shops closed per day last year, chemists worst affected

More shops are expected to exit the UK high streets driven by driven by rising operational costs and a continued shift towards online shopping and transactions.

According to figures from PwC, a total of 12,804 outlets operated by chains (those with five or more locations) exited high streets, shopping centres and retail parks in 2024 – equivalent to 35 closures per day.

Keep ReadingShow less
Empty pharmacy shelves due to UK medicine shortages.

The government has said it's investing up to £520m to manufacture more medicines

Pic credit: iStock

Brexit blamed for UK medicine shortages with "little sign of recovery"

The UK is facing “a worsening situation” with drugs shortages compared to the rest of Europe as a result of Brexit, according to the Nuffield Trust health thinktank.

It comes of the back of data that revealed that the department of health and social care (DHSC) received 1,938 notifications of disruptions to medicine supply last year – the highest in four years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Alert! Patients on Promixin should be switched to alternatives by 30 April

Promixin is licensed for treating chronic pulmonary infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa in adults and children with cystic fibrosis

Getty Images

Medicine shortage: Promixin to be discontinued from May 2025

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England have issued a national patient safety alert regarding the upcoming shortage of Promixin (colistimethate).

The alert, issued on 17 March 2025, states that Promixin (colistimethate) 1-million-unit powder for nebuliser solution unit dose vials (UDVs) will be discontinued from early May 2025, with stocks expected to be exhausted by this time.

Keep ReadingShow less
PAGB welcomes new vice-presidents and treasurer to Board

Rob Elliott and Bas Vorsteveld ( L-R)

Bas Vorsteveld will now oversee the Kenvue’s business in Northern Europe

PAGB appoints new vice-presidents and treasurer to Board

PAGB, the consumer healthcare association, has announced the appointment of two new vice-presidents and a treasurer to their Board.

Bas Vorsteveld, area managing director for Northern Europe at Kenvue, and Rob Elliott, OTC centre of excellence lead at Viatris, have been elected as vice-presidents.

Keep ReadingShow less