The Welsh Pharmaceutical Committee’s vision for pharmacy, Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales, was first published in 2019. Developed by the profession, the 10-year plan aims to provide a clear direction for pharmacy professionals in every part of the NHS, focusing on meeting patients’ and the NHS’s needs now and in the future.

Committee chair Jonathan Simms said: “Today marks an important step in our journey towards our 2030 vision for pharmacy in Wales. So much has been achieved and the new goals recognise the challenges that the workforce currently face as we recover from the pandemic.

"With this comes opportunities to deliver new roles, embed new skills and drive the use of technology to make Wales a vibrant place to work whilst delivering excellent pharmaceutical care.”

Welcoming the new goals, Welsh Government minister for health and social services Eluned Morgan said: “Earlier this year we introduced the most significant reform of the way community pharmacies provide services since the NHS was created more than 70 years ago.

"A great deal has already been achieved towards our vision, with community pharmacy teams now consistently using their expertise to support patients and our health and care services.

“As the profession embarks on the next phase of its journey, I am looking forward to seeing how the role of pharmacy professionals in other sectors can be transformed to achieve even more in the coming years.”

Chief pharmaceutical officer Andrew Evans added: “Pharmacy: Delivering a Healthier Wales provided a clear direction for the development of pharmaceutical care in Wales. Good progress has been made in delivering our aspirations in all sectors of pharmacy practice.

"The refreshed goals provide the basis for supporting and developing the role of pharmacy professionals who work in our hospitals and in community care, to ensure they can continue to meet the changing needs of patients and are empowered to respond to the challenges faced by the NHS.

“Our ambitious new goals build on the work we are already doing to implement ePrescribing in secondary and primary care, increasing the use of digital technology and pharmacogenomics. We also want to ensure the profession meets its obligations to be more socially responsible, tackling inequalities in health, supporting environmental sustainability and promoting the use of the Welsh language.”  

Elen Jones, director of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Wales, said the RPS was proud to be part of the developments. “The 2025 goals continue to drive our aspirations for pharmacy in Wales, breaking down boundaries between care settings and developing the workforce to ensure patients benefit from the expertise of the pharmacy team wherever and whenever they need it. We look forward to working with colleagues in supporting this important agenda over the next three years and beyond.”

The new goals are just part of the ambition for pharmacy in Wales over the next three years. The full set of goals for 2025, including those underway, brought forward or ongoing, arranged across four themes - enhancing patient experience, developing the workforce, seamless pharmaceutical care and harnessing innovation and technology - can be found at https://www.rpharms.com/wales/2025goals