Pharmacists across Northern Ireland are recognised on World Pharmacist Day

Date published: 25 September 2019

World Pharmacist Day was officially designated in 2009 by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) to raise awareness of the role of pharmacists in healthcare and increase community involvement of pharmacists at national and local levels.

Cathy Harrison said: “I am proud of the work that our pharmacists do every day to help keep patients safe through their work in community pharmacies, GP surgeries and hospitals to help people in Northern Ireland obtain the best possible health outcomes from their medicines.”

The theme of this year’s World Pharmacists Day is “Safe and effective medicines for all”, and aims to promote the role of pharmacists in safeguarding patient safety through improving medicines use and reducing medication errors.

Cathy added: “It is timely that the theme of this year’s World Pharmacists Day is ‘safe and effective medicines for all’, as the World Health Organisation (WHO) have recognised in their third Global Patient Safety Challenge that medication errors are a leading cause of injury and avoidable harm in healthcare settings across the world.

“Pharmacists are experts in medicines and their knowledge and skills will be vital in responding to the WHO Challenge in Northern Ireland and in ensuring that new medicines of ever increasing complexity continue to be used safely and effectively for the benefit of our population. Pharmacy in Northern Ireland is an exciting and varied career with many current job opportunities across the region.”

To mark the day, the Department of Health is releasing a short video on social media and the Department’s website entitled “Proud to be a Pharmacist in Northern Ireland”. This video highlights how pharmacists in Northern Ireland are proud of the work that they do in many different care settings to ensure that medicines are used safely and effectively for the benefit of our population.

HSC providers are also marking World Pharmacists Day by showcasing new and existing initiatives aimed at utilising the expertise of pharmacists in order to ensure the safer use of medicines within their organisations.