The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has appointed a new director for Wales, it announced today (September 24).
Dr Geraldine McCaffrey, the current chair of the RPS National Pharmacy Board for Wales and a member of the RPS Assembly, will commence her new role on December 1, the RPS said.
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She succeeds Elen Jones, who will be joining Health Education and Improvement Wales (HEIW) as pharmacy dean.
McCaffrey also serves as principal pharmacist for research and development at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, and is currently “on secondment to Digital Health Care Wales as senior clinical informatics lead”, the RPS said.
McCaffrey will step down from her current positions at the RPS before she takes on her new role, and will report to RPS CEO Paul Bennett “until the new director of pharmacy for the future Royal College of Pharmacy has been appointed”.
“Distinguished career”
Bennett said McCaffrey “brings a wealth of experience, from a distinguished career so far which includes her recent work on the establishment of the Shared Medicines Record for Wales”.
“Her ability to build strong relationships and drive positive change are exactly the attributes we were looking for as we transition towards becoming the Royal College of Pharmacy and advancing pharmacy across Wales and beyond,” he added.
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McCaffrey said she is “excited to further develop” her “advocacy for the [pharmacy] profession in Wales”.
“It’s been a privilege to serve as chair of the Welsh Pharmacy Board, and I look forward to working with members, board colleagues and the RPS team to shape our future strategy and realise our commitments,” she added.
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It comes after the RPS revealed in August that it will “no longer require the existing chief officer roles” outside of the chief executive position, as part of planned changes to its leadership team.
“The changes are announced as the organisation navigates the transformation that its members voted in favour of in March 2025” to become a royal college and register as a charity, the body said.
