A Highland pharmacist and Scottish government lead for the video-consulting system NHS Near Me is moving to head up the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) in Scotland.

Clare Morrison said she was “absolutely delighted” to be taking on the role at an “exciting” time for pharmacy, following the retirement of the previous director Alex MacKinnon.

Pharmacies across Scotland have seen major changes over the coronavirus pandemic, including being granted access to patient emergency care summaries and the introduction of the NHS Pharmacy First initiative.

Ms Morrison moves from the Scottish government where she was in charge of the Near Me online appointments software, which has surged in popularity with nearly 17,000 consultations taking place each week following lockdown.

Prior to this the new RPS head worked for NHS Highland where she developed a number of pharmaceutical care and medicines safety initiatives that have been spread across Scotland, including leading the Scottish Patient Safety Programme’s pharmacy anywhere pilot in the Highlands.

Jonathan Burton, Chair of the Scottish Pharmacy Board said: “I’m excited to be working with Clare to progress the Board’s priorities for the profession.

“Her experience across different sectors of pharmacy combined with her understanding of digital delivery and quality improvement will create opportunities to improve the lives of patients in Scotland. I look forward to collaborating with Clare and delivering for our members.”  

Ms Morrison said: “I am absolutely delighted to be appointed as Director for Scotland, and to build on the great work of Alex and the RPS team in Edinburgh. I believe now, more than ever, that pharmacy has an exciting future.

“Every profession needs a strong professional body, so it is a huge honour to be appointed to this role and to be part of achieving the RPS mission of putting pharmacy at the forefront of healthcare. I am really looking forward to being part of RPS, working with other professional and patient organisations, and most importantly, with every pharmacy team across Scotland to realise the opportunities the future holds.”

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