Kate Thatcher
Communications Officer
Tel 020 7572 2476
Fax 020 7572 2503
e-mail: kate.thatcher@rpsgb.org
Viola Lewis
Interim Senior Communications Officer
Tel 020 7572 2334
Fax 020 7572 2503
email: viola.lewis@rpsgb.org
Susan McCue
Communications Manager
Tel 020 7572 2627
Fax 020 7572 2503
e-mail: susan.mccue@rpsgb.org
Sharene Chatfield
Interim Head of Corporate Communications
Tel: 020 7572 2335
Fax 020 7572 2503
email: sharene.chatfield@rpsgb.org
For weekend and out of hours press and media enquiries, please call:
Tel 07792 109834
Thank you to all those who applied to become a "face of pharmacy" through the Pharmacy RX Factor. The RX Factor competition has identified four faces of pharmacy to support the Society’s media campaigns and ensure the profession’s expert voice is heard in the national and regional media across a range of health issues.
The winners of the competition, who were announced at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in September 2008, will receive professional media training.
The new faces of pharmacy are:
Paul Johnson (Great Britain)
Paul is an independent community locum pharmacist, with background experience as a community pharmacist manager, a prescribing support pharmacist, a prescribing advisor and a regional trainer for preregistration graduates and healthcare assistants. Paul is also media savvy, having had a regular slot on regional radio and various health articles published in the local press. It should come as no surprise that Paul doesn’t shy away from the spotlight as he also has a master of arts in acting.
Hannah Stretton (England)
Hannah has a specialist interest in education and training and is head of professional services for a national pharmacy training company. She is heavily involved in preregistration pharmacist training and works with trainees in both primary and secondary care. Hannah is also a locum community pharmacist and has previously worked in the pharmacy superintendent’s office of a large multiple. She has been a local Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education tutor and a production pharmacist for a specials manufacturing company. Her experience also extends to the NHS as she completed her preregistration training in a children’s hospital.
Laura Wilson (Scotland)
Laura is manager of a busy community pharmacy where she has implemented all aspects of the new pharmacy contract and set up a variety of additional services. In addition, Laura is a qualified supplementary prescriber and also has had experience in hospital pharmacy.
Elen Jones (Wales)
Elen is a community pharmacy manager working in a number of stores for a leading pharmacy chain within the south Wales area. She has valuable experience in hospital pharmacy that she acquired as a preregistration pharmacist where she especially enjoyed the challenges encountered during her role in medicines information. Being a confident, fluent Welsh speaker, Elen particularly relishes the daily interaction with patients, the public and other healthcare professionals.
If you have any questions, please e-mail:
For press releases from the Society, click here
Since the beginning of 2008 the PR Unit has been working to achieve a greater presence for pharmacy in the national news arena. An archive of news coverage is available via the Society’s online press office, www.digitalnewsagency.com. The site features television and radio interviews with Society spokespeople on a breadth of topics from polyclinics to hay fever, as well as statements and news published online and in national newspapers.
Sign into the site by using the login and password rpsgb1 and visit the "Coverage" section of the site for the archived coverage.
To access multimedia, such as the hay fever campaign webvideo, visit the "Workshop" section of the site.
The online press office is updated on a regular basis, whenever the Society achieves news coverage.
External relations is a high priority for the Society in its roles as regulatory authority and professional development body. Members are encouraged to help promote their profession through public relations activities but it is important that they do so from an informed position. Members can obtain advice on all aspects of public affairs and public relations including liaising with parliamentarians, public bodies and other professions, campaigning, events management and dealing with the media.
The Public Relations Unit co-ordinates the Society's public relations. The Society monitors media coverage of the profession and its activities. References to pharmacy in the media that require a reply by the Society should be referred to the Public Relations Unit. For advice on all aspects of public relations and up-to-date information on Society policies and professional issues contact the Public Relations Unit.
For information about Parliamentary activity, click here
For a roundup of recent PR activity click here