Clare Morrison, the director of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in Scotland is to leave the pharmacy organisation to take up the role of Director of Community Engagement at Healthcare Improvement Scotland, working alongside the Scottish Health Council’s Healthcare Improvement team.

Ms Morrison, a pharmacist and a Scottish Quality & Safety Fellow joined the RPS just over two years ago from the Scottish government.

In government, she was in charge of the Near Me online appointments software, which came into its own during the pandemic and has surged in popularity with nearly 17,000 consultations taking place each week following lockdown.

She moved into the government from NHS Highland where she developed a number of pharmaceutical care and medicines safety initiatives now spread across Scotland, including the Scottish Patient Safety Programme’s ‘pharmacy anywhere’ pilot in the Highlands.

At the RPS, Ms Morrison led on the organisation’s 2030 vision for the profession in Scotland and has been outspoken on the role of prescribing and Realistic Medicine in reaching Scotland’s ambitions for a net-zero emissions NHS, including green prescribing guidance and the choice of inhalers.

Recently she was one of the speakers at a Scottish parliament event on supporting people with disabilities to work in pharmacies.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) Chief Executive, Robbie Pearson, said he welcomes Ms Morrison to the organisation, where she will begin work in January:

“She brings with her a wealth of experience and an understanding of engaging with the public, so we are delighted that Clare will be able to share her skills and knowledge with us, as we continue our work to improve health and care services across Scotland.”

Ms Morrison said she was pleased to be joining HIS next year:

“It is an organisation which can make a real difference to improving the lives of people across Scotland. I look forward to starting in the post, being able to hear directly from people all over the country, and helping shape the future of health and care services.”

In a statement issued by RPS Scotland today, Clare Morrison said it had been an honour to work for the professional organisation for pharmacy:

“Our team in Scotland has done some fantastic work in that time, in particular our Pharmacy 2030 professional vision which we developed with many pharmacy groups right across Scotland and co-published with the National Pharmacy Technician Group Scotland. Our work on creating a national multi-professional movement on environmentally sustainable prescribing was another highlight.

“We have had a real focus on making RPS a professional home for pharmacists in Scotland with the creation of our members’ hub in Edinburgh, sharing best practice through both events and our best practice webpage, and of course celebratory events the next of which is on 22 November. I know the RPS staff and Scottish Pharmacy Board will be committed to further developing this work in the years ahead.”

She added that she will continue to support RPS while working for Healthcare Improvement Scotland:

“I have always had a real sense of purpose to improve services for patients, so I am delighted to be given this opportunity to work for Healthcare Improvement Scotland to be more focused on improving health and care for people. However, I remain proud to be an RPS Fellow and will continue to support the work of RPS.”

 

Read more: Plans for a more inclusive pharmacy sector; Realistic medicine to help the climate; Pharmacy: Back us as ‘most accessible’ health teams

 

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