Annual conference unites pharmacy professionals from across the North and beyond
Leading figures and rising stars within the pharmacy sector came together for the 6th Great North Pharmacy Research Collaborative Conference.
The annual event was attended by over 250 pharmacy professionals who heard from a line-up of expert speakers during the day at the Hilton Newcastle Gateshead.
Chaired by Julia Blagburn, Consultant Pharmacist for Integration, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Anne Black, Regional QA Specialist Pharmacist – NENC, Specialist Pharmacy Service, the focus of this year’s conference centred around Women’s Health.
The conference provides a platform for the pharmacy community to share ideas and learning, and to recognise and celebrate the work of Foundation Pharmacists from across the region.
Delegates joined from a variety of roles and sectors including community pharmacy, general practice, primary care networks, local authority, higher education and the charity sector.
108 posters were exhibited at the event highlighting the scale of pharmacy research that is taking place across the region.
Keynote speakers included:
- Claire Riley, Chief Corporate Services Officer, NENC Integrated Care Board
- Tase Oputu, Associate Director of Medicines Optimisation, Medicines Value & Performance NHS Kent & Medway, Chair, English Pharmacy Board, Royal Pharmaceutical Society
- Alice Wiseman, Director of Public Health Gateshead and Newcastle, Gateshead Council
Julia Blagburn and Anne Black, chairs of the conference, said: “This year’s Great North Pharmacy Research Collaborative Conference shone the spotlight on the breadth of research that is being undertaken throughout the region across a range of sectors.”
On the conference theme, they reflected: “Despite progress, women still face persistent barriers to accessing health and social care services, particularly in the North of England. We wanted the conference to explore some of the work that is being done within the pharmacy field to help address these challenges. We were honoured to be joined by a vast array of speakers who were willing to share their experiences, learnings and ideas, which we have no doubt will have inspired many people sat in the audience.
“We would also like to thank and congratulate all the Foundation Pharmacists who exhibited posters and presented. It is encouraging to see such passion and engagement in research from the pharmacy leaders of the future.”
The future of pharmacy
Three Foundation Pharmacists were also invited to present their research to the audience. These included Rachel Fixter from The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Kimberly Mupfukudzwa from Sunderland Royal Hospital and Hooria Adnan from North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust.
The event was closed with a short awards presentation across three categories, which were judged on the day. The winners were:
- Foundation Pharmacist Poster Award: Beth Montgomerie, Foundation Pharmacist, South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – Training pharmacy ward assistant technical officers (WATOs) to counsel patients on medicines on discharge, implementation of guideline, and evaluation of benefit: a service improvement project
- Foundation Pharmacist Presentation Award: Hooria Adnan, Foundation Pharmacist, North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust – Optimising pharmaceutical usage in patient-controlled analgesia: A sustainable approach towards reducing waste and costs
- Open Call for Posters Award: Charity Murefu, Clinical Pharmacist, Sunderland GP Alliance – Promoting recommended contraceptive measures during use of teratogenic or potentially teratogenic medicines in females of childbearing age
Other speakers on the day included: Stephanie Watson, Clinical Pharmacy Technician, The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Carla Cressy, CEO and Founder, The Endometriosis Foundation, Professor Adam Todd, Professor of Pharmaceutical Public Health, Newcastle University, Ivan Hollingsworth, Director, Centric Consultants Limited.
Copies of the presentation slides from speakers in the main room and the breakout sessions will be available to view shortly, along with a recording of the event.