The PDA has appointed Ms Ward as director of public affairs, with the task of “taking the issues facing the 26,000 PDA members to the door of policy makers”, the PDA said in a statement today (June 29).

Ms Ward was formerly chair of Pharmacy Voice, a position she held until the group’s disbandment in April this year. Before that, she was chief executive of the Independent Pharmacy Federation and served as a Labour MP for Watford from 1997-2010.

Commenting on her appointment, PDA chairman Mark Koziol said: “Pharmacy could do so much more to support the needs of patients and the NHS, but recently the decision makers in government have been provided with a very underwhelming brief of what we can deliver.”

Ms Ward is “a very accomplished, well-connected and experienced pro-pharmacy campaigner” and “will be a formidable addition to our team”, Mr Koziol added.

Ms Ward said she is “delighted” with the appointment.

“It’s essential that individual pharmacists’ skills and contributions are recognised, protected and rewarded.

“The ongoing [funding cuts in England] are having a direct impact on employees and locums, and we need politicians and policy makers to understand that this is not the way to deliver safe and effective care to patients,” she added.

Ms Ward was ranked number 19 by readers in C+D's rundown of the 50 most influential individuals in community pharmacy last month. View the full results here.