Inclusive Pharmacy Practice Bulletin
Diversity in senior pharmacy professional leadership edition
Introduction to the Bulletin
The pharmacy profession is diverse and we should celebrate that. For me, diversity enhances creativity. It encourages the search for new information and perspectives, leading to better decision making and problem solving.
At all levels, particularly in the senior levels of pharmacy, diversity of people and mindsets is absolutely crucial to drive positive and long-lasting change.
Sadly, there are too many instances where people don’t feel they belong due to a lack of faces and voices which match their own - and this is unacceptable.
Diversity helps to create a deeper sense of belonging which unites us as we strive to create a truly inclusive workplace, one that supports collective advancement and success without leaving any individual or group behind, and in which everyone feels they can truly be themselves and thrive. At Frimley ICS we aim to improve diversity in leadership roles by building equality, diversity and inclusion into the recruitment process and ensuring it underpins our pharmacy workforce strategy. We are continuing to develop an allyship programme and compassionate conversations training to build an inclusive culture across the ICS. Here is some advice for those who would like to achieve a senior pharmacy leadership role: • Be open to taking more risks in career choices during the first 10-15 years of your career.
• Portfolio careers mean portfolio skills - these will be the cornerstone of future leaders
• Learn who you are and what you stand for- spend time learning what kind of person and professional you are - and equally what you stand for and what you don’t.
• Be authentic and true to yourself - I have spent a long time in my career being someone I was not. This only got me so far. As I learned who I was, and applied my authentic self in my roles, this accelerated my career beyond anything I could have imagined
• Have a guide to help you. Find a professional you trust to help soundboard your professional decisions
• Develop yourself - never stop learning, challenging and improving your mindset and knowledge
• Remember Maya Angelou’s quote: 'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel'
Yousaf Ahmad, IPP Advisory Board Member, and Chief Pharmacist and Director of Medicines Optimisation, Frimley Health and Care ICB
I would like to thank colleagues from our partner organisations for taking the time to share the Inclusive Pharmacy Practice work they are leading on and for their expertise and insights as we work collaboratively to share practice.
Hopefully, there is something here to inspire you to reflect on contributions you can make either personally or professionally to improve diversity in senior pharmacy professional leadership.
The important message for me is that we must support talent to rise to the top and remove the complex barriers and glass ceilings.
Pharmacy is in a privileged position, and regardless of sector we have a trusted and valued relationship with the people and communities we serve. Harnessing that USP is important. Challenging conversations are needed as often we need to look to our own practice and ask whether we are living the values of inclusion and equal opportunities so that our senior decision-making forums and roles reflect our communities. I believe it is only by doing this that pharmacy will really release the potential it has to reduce health inequalities.
As a Pharmacy Technician I have faced many challenges (and opportunities) to support my career, often being the only pharmacy technician in a senior professional discussion or decision-making forum. Championing the value of the profession and its contributions to improving patient care and services can be draining. Seeking ways to open up opportunities has become a strategic goal for me. Challenging the status quo and having opportunities to develop are key. Therefore, I am so passionate about the work we are doing with CPPE on positive action for access to the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer's Pharmacy Leaders Development Programme.
Providing opportunities for pharmacy technicians to be in senior leadership positions in all organisations is critical as we work towards one of the biggest changes in practice. The introduction of prescribing for pharmacists as part of their initial education and training, means we must ensure the role expansion and contribution of pharmacy technicians as a profession is realised. We need to have pharmacy technicians in decision making and leadership positions to lead that change, working closely with other clinical and professional leaders.
Liz Fidler, Co-Chair of the IPP Improving Practice and Engagement Group, and Senior Professional Advisor Pharmacy Technician Practice, NHS England
We hope you find inspiration among all the many excellent pieces of work showcased by our partner organisations in this Bulletin. In this video message I explain more about what we are doing in my CPhO team at NHS England to deliver positive change around diversity in senior pharmacy professional leadership. This Bulletin is dedicated to the memory of Gul Root, who died in December 2022, and was a champion of Inclusive Pharmacy Practice. You can read more about
Gul in this Bulletin.
David Webb, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer, NHS England
Read more on diversity in senior pharmacy professional leadership:
Improving diversity in Council member appointmentsIn this case study from the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), Laura McClintock, Associate Director of Corporate Affairs, discusses the importance of diversity in Council member appointments at the GPhC, the steps taken to improve diversity over the past two years and how pharmacy professionals can get involved in these roles in the future. Read the
article.
“I can be what I see": The impact of having role models In this blog, Lola Dabiri, Board Member at the UK Black Pharmacist Association (UKBPA), writes about diversity in senior leadership, her role with the RPS, and the UKBPA's mission regarding practical solutions to the inequalities faced by black pharmacists, trainee pharmacists and students in the UK. Read the article.
My leadership journey: Shilpa ShahShilpa Shah is CEO of North East London Local Pharmaceutical Committee, which works closely with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC). She is also an IPP Advisory Board member. In this article, she talks about her career in community pharmacy and why diversity in senior leadership matters. Read the
interview.
Diversity in leadership for pharmacy techniciansIn this article, Shamma Baig, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Lead at the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK), discusses APTUK's commitment to diversity in senior leadership including its inclusive recruitment processes, and her own professional journey and work on inclusion.
Empowering our future pharmacy leaders The Pharmacy Schools Council is the voice of the UK's 30 pharmacy schools. In this article, Chair Professor Katie Maddock talks about how the Pharmacy Schools Council is working to ensure diversity and inclusion for the pharmacy leaders of the future.
Women superintendents: community pharmacy leadershipThe Company Chemists' Association has interviewed two of its member organisations' female Superintendent Pharmacists to find out about their careers. Claire Nevinson (Boots UK) and Victoria Steele (LloydsPharmacy) discuss their experiences as female leaders in the profession, encouraging allyship in pharmacy, and fostering greater diversity at the top. Read the
article.
Visibility, representation and role modelsThe Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) encourages individuals and organisations to sign its Inclusion and Wellbeing Pledge to show their commitment to creating a culture of belonging in pharmacy teams. In this blog, RPS board members Bayo Adegbite, Tase Oputu and Lola Dabiri talk about the importance of visibility, representation and role models. You can also watch a video of their discussion with RPS Head of Professional Belonging Amandeep Doll. Plus, the RPS held its first panel session on Islamophobia in Pharmacy in collaboration with the British Islamic Medical Association.
The strengths of equality, diversity and inclusion networksThe Pharmacists’ Defence Association (PDA) has a range of equality, inclusion and diversity networks for its members. Its BAME Pharmacists’ Network has recently worked on an Anti-Racist Pharmacy Toolkit which can be used in pharmacy professionals' workplaces. And in this interview Ayah Abbass talks about her role as President of the PDA’s National Association of Women Pharmacists.
Building pharmacy technician leadershipHealth Education England (HEE) won the Diversity and Inclusion Award at the Chemist and Druggist Awards in November 2022. This new award was presented to HEE in recognition of its ongoing work to deliver a fairer, values-based recruitment process for all trainee pharmacists. Plus, read the perspective of Selina Tumani, Pharmacy Technician Leadership Fellow. She is supporting the implementation of HEE’s first Pharmacy Technician and Pharmacy Support Staff Workforce Development Strategy and promoting a new offer for NHS funded leadership training for pharmacy technicians.
Personal development for senior roles in primary careAre you interested in applying for a senior pharmacy role in the primary care sector? The Primary Care Pharmacy Association (PCPA) has put together top tips to help navigate the opportunities available and prepare for a leadership role in the new primary care landscape. Read
more.
Women pharmacy professionals: what good leadership meansThe National Pharmacy Association (NPA) hosts a forum to listen to its women members who are pharmacy owners and superintendents. In this forum, they share experiences of pharmacy practice and business, enablers and barriers, and where they want the profession to go. Read this article by women NPA members on what good leadership means to them and a
letter of encouragement to women in pharmacy from participants of the NPA Women Members’ Forum,
Widening opportunities for leadership rolesA change of recruitment and governance processes at the UK Clinical Pharmacy Association (UKCPA) has meant that more people across different sectors were able to apply for leadership roles. Read more in this article by UKCPA's Chief Executive Officer Sarah Carter.
Making senior leadership more inclusive Read this article to find out about work at The Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists to improve equality and diversity in leadership, by making its National Operating Professional Committee more diverse and developing a checklist to make meetings more inclusive.
Improving diversity in senior leadership roles The Association of Independent Multiple Pharmacies (AIMP) is working to improve diversity in senior leadership roles, and when advertising for senior roles encourages women and those from underserved groups to apply. The organisation is also working closely with its membership to improve the overall diversity in the sector; its members are from diverse backgrounds and AIMP is proud of the way they promote inclusivity in their operations. Leyla Hannbeck, the AIMP CEO, is from Finland. She says, “This means English is not my first language, and consequently I’m very keen
to ensure we promote diversity and embrace people’s talents, and empower people to be the best they can be.”
A tribute to Gul Root It was with great sadness that the team in the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Office at NHS England learned of the death of our colleague Gul Root recently. Gul was Principal Pharmaceutical Officer at the Department of Health and Social Care's Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. Her enthusiasm for public health pharmacy was unbounded and we are very appreciative of the support she gave to the Inclusive Pharmacy Practice initiative from its inception in August 2020. Gul became a leading champion for the role that community pharmacy had to play in addressing health inequalities,
increasing inclusion and promoting healthy lifestyles. It was Gul who was primarily responsible for the fact that all pharmacies are now Healthy Living Pharmacies, which is an incredible legacy. Gul never tired of promoting the role that pharmacy had to play in keeping people healthy and she would lobby until she got her point across because it was the right thing to do. On a personal note, Gul was a joy. Her enthusiasm and tenacity were infectious and that rubbed off on everyone around her. Millions of people have cause to be thankful to Gul for the difference she has made to their lives through her leadership and skills, her humanistic approach to her work and the pride she had in her profession. Gul truly believed that pharmacy had a huge amount to offer in looking after people in so many different ways, and she was proud to see
that become reality. Those of us who knew Gul personally will miss her enormously and we will honour the difference she has made. Our sincere condolences go to Tim Root and their family. Read the Pharmaceutical Journal's tribute to Gul.
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