World Pharmacists Day is observed on 25 September each year to recognise pharmacists for the role they play in improving global health. In 2024, the theme is “Pharmacists: Meeting global health needs”.
Pharmacists serve as integral partners of healthcare systems, playing a vital role in meeting health needs by:
- Ensuring access to essential medicines, providing advice to optimise medicine use.
- First point of contact for health advice.
- Participating in research and development of new medicines.
- Promoting disease prevention through health screenings and administration of vaccines.
- Implementing greener ways of working and addressing the impact of climate change on health.
- Leading in anti-microbial stewardship ensuring that antibiotics are used only when needed and for the appropriate duration.
- Leading in medication safety ensuring effective management of medicines and reducing risks of errors and harm.
In Lincolnshire, there are over 250 pharmacists working hard in hospitals, prisons, general practice, community pharmacies and in academia. So, on this world pharmacist day, we want to express our deep gratitude to the unsung heroes of healthcare – our pharmacists.
As part of the celebration, we interviewed 2 Pharmacists working within Lincolnshire ICB Medicines Optimisation Team to get their take on being a pharmacist.