This evening RCSI will host an inaugural address by Dr Catriona Bradley, the newly appointed Executive Director of the Irish Institute of Pharmacy (IIoP) entitled ‘Leading Practice, Advancing Standards’.

The IIOP was established by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI, the Pharmacy Regulator) to oversee the management and delivery of continuing professional development to promote excellence in patient care and professional standards. RCSI was awarded a four year contract to establish and operate the IIOP on behalf of the PSI.

Dr Catriona Bradley, Executive Director, IIoP commenting on the role of the IIoP stated: “Pharmacists play a vital role in ensuring the safe and rational use of medicines, helping patients to experience optimal benefits from their medicines whilst reducing the risk of medicine related problems. Over the coming years we will see great changes in medicines and in models of care within the healthcare system.”

“The IIoP will empower pharmacists to meet the challenges of the future and will support the development of pharmacy practice. I look forward to working with pharmacists across the profession, as well as with colleagues in other healthcare professions, in the pursuit of improved patient outcomes,” Dr Bradley continued.

Whether working in communities, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, universities or regulatory bodies, all pharmacists are focussed on the same goal – the improvement of patient health through the optimisation of medicine use. They also have a role in the avoidance or delay of medicine use, through the promotion of healthy lifestyles and the early detection of risk factors for disease. The IIOP will support the development of the profession and facilitate collaboration between pharmacists and other health care professions with a view to optimising outcomes for both the healthcare system and patients.

The work of the IIOP benefits both pharmacists and patients. It will oversee the management and delivery of a new continuing professional development (CPD) system which will support pharmacists in maintaining and developing their competence, driving continuous improvement in the profession. New formal quality assurance processes will also be established to ensure that standards of patient care are maintained across the profession. The IIOP will have a leadership role within the pharmacy profession and in time will also facilitate a research agenda.

Welcoming Dr Bradley to RCSI, Professor Cathal Kelly, RCSI CEO said: “The establishment of the Irish Institute of Pharmacy brings Irish pharmacy education and training in line with international best practice and will help to position Ireland at the forefront internationally of pharmacy innovation and education.”

PSI President, Eoghan Hanly sees the Irish Institute of Pharmacy as the ‘”essential platform that will assist in the future development of the pharmacy profession in Ireland, with pharmacists working as part of the wider healthcare team in the interest of public health and patient safety”.

He added: “This flexible model of CPD will allow pharmacists to develop their skills in line with changes in the Irish health service, evolving patient need and as identified in their practice area.”