DoH Chief Pharmaceutical Officer
The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer Cathy Harrison and her team are responsible for providing specialist advice on medicines and pharmaceutical issues to the minister, department and wider health service and for the development of policy relating to medicines optimisation prescribing and pharmacy practice.
The Chief Pharmaceutical Officer and her team also have responsibility for the inspection of premises and the enforcement of human and veterinary medicines under the Medicines Act, Misuse of Drugs Act, Pharmacy (Northern Ireland) Order and Poisons (Northern Ireland) Order.
Medicines and Policy Group
The Acting Senior Principal Pharmaceutical Officer Christopher Garland is responsible for providing specialist professional advice to, the minister, department and wider HSC on all matters relating to medicines and their use.
Medicines Regulatory Group
Canice Ward, Senior Principal Pharmaceutical Officer, is head of the Medicines Regulatory Group (MRG).
The Medicines Regulatory Group is responsible, on behalf of the Minister of the Department of Health, for key aspects of medicines control in Northern Ireland, including the monitoring of the production, import/export, possession, supply and administration of controlled drugs and other medicinal products.
DoH has a statutory obligation to ensure compliance with legislative requirements in a wide variety of areas within health and social care (and in the wider non healthcare sector).