Celebrating World Pharmacists Day, by Linda Ross, Anna Hodgkinson and Arlene McGuire

As a profession, pharmacy is evolving rapidly. Pharmacists are no longer confined to the dispensary - we are embedded across the entire healthcare system, from primary care to specialist clinical services, shaping policy, improving access to medicines, and driving innovation in patient care.

We are uniquely positioned to provide safe, cost-effective, and accessible care. From managing complex medication regimens and preventing adverse drug interactions, to leading antimicrobial stewardship and minimising waste, we are driving better outcomes and helping the NHS respond to global challenges in medicines management.

At Guy’s and St Thomas’, we’re proud to host the UK’s largest clinical pharmacy service. Our pharmacists work across diverse areas including medicines information, governance, procurement, technical services, clinical trials, medicine safety, dispensing services as well as direct patient care in highly specialised clinical areas. Consultant pharmacists are also leading the way in research and integrated care, helping improve access to advanced therapies and reduce delays in treatment.

As we celebrate World Pharmacists Day, we must continue to advocate for the profession and highlight the value pharmacists bring to every corner of healthcare. To all our colleagues, whether in hospitals, community settings, academia, industry, or policy - thank you for your dedication, expertise, and unwavering commitment to patient care.

Here's a bit more about what we do:

Arlene McGuire , Lead Dermatology Pharmacist St Johns Institute of Dermatology

I am currently undertaking credentialing for the first Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) approved consultant dermatology pharmacist post in the UK. My career in hospital pharmacy has been dynamic and rewarding to date and I hope demonstrates that pharmacists can lead in specialist areas, improving access to cutting-edge treatments to ensure our patients receive the best possible care.

When I first started working in dermatology 12 years ago, people assumed my role involved just creams and ointments, the prevalence and profound impact of skin disease is often misunderstood. Fast forward to today and although creams and ointments still play a role, we have a vast number of advanced biological and targeted immunomodulatory treatments. These treatments have completely changed patients’ lives. The evolution of biologic therapy for inflammatory disease such as psoriasis has reduced our inpatient hospital admissions by more than 80% since 2003.

We are now looking ahead to cutting edge gene therapies, which will be ground breaking in rare diseases such as Epidermolysis bullosa.

I enjoy the variety in the role, every day is different. With more than 1,000 disease entities involving skin/hair and nails described I find it fascinating. From dealing with medicine shortages, reviewing patients, prescribing biological treatments, onboarding new NICE approved treatments and writing clinical guidelines, to managing large drugs budgets, individual funding requests and guiding off label use of medicines in exceptional cases. I also lead on pharmacy education for the St Johns DermAcademy, and feel passionate about sparking an interest in Dermatology within pharmacists because of the impact that we can have in this field. I input to national guidelines from the British Association of Dermatology, aiming for high quality patient care and equitable access to medicines.

Dermatology is a very visual specialty, and seeing the progress a patient can make on treatment never fails to amaze me. My role allows me to work closely with many specialist pharmacists across the department for example in drug commissioning, governance and procurement. We are all vital pieces of the puzzle to getting the right treatment to the patient and it’s a privilege to have such expertise around me. I also work closely with our incredible dermatology multidisciplinary team (MDT). They always make me feel valued, and as the largest clinical dermatology department in the UK- my team are definitely in demand!

Linda Ross , Principle Pharmacist in Transplant, Renal and Urology

I have spent 19 years in pharmacy, the last 14 of which have been dedicated to specialist kidney and urology care. I think my work demonstrates the vital role pharmacists play in ensuring safe, effective, personalised care and improving patient outcomes. Our work is incredibly rewarding. Renal and urology treatments can be life-transforming and seeing the improvements in patients is really inspiring. The work itself is also fascinating; no two patients are the same. The work is naturally multidisciplinary and draws on both technical skills of clinical pharmacology and the softer skills required in frontline patient care.

My role includes a broad range of responsibilities; clinical audits and cost-effectiveness reviews, medicines reconciliation, immunosuppressant monitoring, antimicrobial stewardship, and patient education in surgical pathways and post-operative care. We need to be diligent in identifying drug interactions, in adjusting doses based on renal function, and supporting adherence to reduce complications and hospital readmissions. Everything we do is ultimately in service of our purpose; to maximise patient outcomes, wellbeing and standards of care.

I am particularly proud of the next generation of pharmacists coming through. We have an incredible talent pipeline and the opportunities available to them are growing. I’ve benefited from these opportunities myself. I’ve been privileged to be asked to write national guidelines with the British Transplant Society and to share best practice as part of the Executive Committee for the national renal pharmacy group. I’d encourage all pharmacists at every stage in their careers to take advantage of the wide array of opportunities to grow and, as someone who entered renal and urology on rotation and 14 years later am still learning and still loving it, can warmly recommend the growth path!

Anna Hodgkinson , Consultant Pharmacist for Diabetes (integrated role across primary, community and tertiary care at Guy's and St Thomas' and South East London Integrated Care Board)

My journey is unique as most of my career has been spent outside of the hospital setting, working in the management of multiple long-term conditions as both a commissioner in the medicine’s optimisation and service redesign teams, as well as a provider in diabetes clinics. This dual role has helped me understand the patient pathway from multiple perspectives.

The beauty of a consultant pharmacist role is that it has the flexibility to adapt and change over time. The four pillars of the role (clinical practice, leadership, research and education) open up many opportunities locally, regionally and nationally. For me, what started off as a diabetes role has developed into a diabetes, obesity and cardio-renal metabolic role.

This exciting and evolving innovative role keeps me on my toes and no day is the same. My working week is a mix of mentoring, delivering clinics, setting up new cutting-edge services and novel care pathways, providing education, and scoping how new medicines and technology will provide value, benefit our patients and fit into local pathways. Working in an integrated role has its challenges but overall these are far outweighed by the benefits. I work with a great team and we get the opportunity to improve outcomes for patients at both an individual patient and population level.

I have recently been the strategic pharmacy lead for setting up a cardio-renal metabolic pilot across south east London, showcasing the pharmacist as an integral member of the multi-disciplinary team. This has been a really rewarding project to be involved in and is helping to improve access to medicines and improve outcomes for local patients. The project has recently been nominated for two Health Service Journal awards. I have also been the lead pharmacist on a number of diabetes projects for London, supporting equitable access to technology and medicines across the region. I have worked at a national level providing education, undertaken a podcast and contributed to national guidance/frameworks.

The recently published NHS 10 year plan opens up many exciting opportunities for diabetes and for pharmacists overall, shifting care closer to home, increasing the use of technology and moving from reactive to preventative care. Next steps for me are working with colleagues to redesign parts of our community diabetes service using data led prioritisation. This will help to ensure the right patient is seen in the right setting, focusing on cardio-renal metabolic optimisation at an earlier modifiable disease stage to prevent or delay complications in our higher risk local population.