Nigel Clarke will be co-chair of the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership, along with Dame Jane Dacre, professor of medical education at the University College London medical school.

Chief pharmaceutical officer for England, David Webb, made the announcement on Twitter this afternoon (June 7).

Professional leadership has never been so important. Delighted we’ve established a UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership co-chaired by @DacreJane @learnedlion. Read our open letter from @alisonstrath @cathyharrison00 @AndrewEvansCPhO https://t.co/NpfxCvMhfh pic.twitter.com/puFGPnxtsx

— David Webb (@davidwebb_1) June 7, 2022

Mr Clarke left his role as GPhC chair in March, having been in the post for eight years.

What will the commission do?

The commission’s aim will be to produce recommendations “for the purpose and function of future pharmacy professional leadership in the UK”, according to a letter shared by Mr Webb and co-signed by the chief pharmaceutical officers for Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

The group is expected to meet four times over the course of this year.

“This inclusive UK-wide conversation… will seek to learn and determine how pharmacy professional leadership can be strengthened to support practising professionals, professional regulation, and pharmacy professional representation to enable excellence in patient care,” according to the letter.

Read more: Independent prescribing one of new England pharmacy chief’s main priorities

The group will engage members of the profession via webinars in each of the four UK countries, with the objective of producing a “blueprint for the purpose, role, and functions necessary in inclusive professional pharmacy leadership”, the chief pharmaceutical officers and commission co-chairs wrote in the letter.

Mr Webb first announced the creation of the commission at the Clinical Pharmacy Congress in London last month (May 13).