Vaughan Gething praises pharmacists for boosting health of the nation

Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport, Vaughan Gething last night celebrated the dedicated pharmacists across Wales who are improving the health and wellbeing of the nation.

The Welsh Pharmacy Awards saw individuals and teams recognised for the excellent pharmaceutical care they are providing to people across Wales and focussed on the importance of sharing best practice.

Vaughan Gething also praised the profession for its commitment to the Welsh Government’s Choose Pharmacy scheme, which sees pharmacists take responsibility for managing a range of minor ailments – thereby freeing up GPs to deal with patients with more complex needs.

He said:

“I was delighted to attend the Welsh Pharmacy Awards to celebrate the skill and dedication of pharmacists across Wales who provide patients with quality advice and treatment on a daily basis.

“I would particularly like to praise the profession’s engagement with our Choose Pharmacy service.  By enabling people with minor ailments to see highly-skilled pharmacists for information and treatment, the scheme is enabling GPs to focus on those people with more complex cases and reducing patient waiting times.”

Vaughan Gething also reiterated the Welsh Government’s commitment to community pharmacies: “Community pharmacies are a critical part of a strong primary care service. I am keen to continue working with pharmacy contractors to maximise the role of community pharmacists, both to increase the quality of care they provide, and the range of services they offer.”