Two pharmacists and an over-the-counter medication association chief have received an award in King Charles’ new year honours list for 2025, the Cabinet Office announced this week (December 30).
Fishers Chemist’s superintendent pharmacist Alan Kurtz, Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s chief pharmacist Laura McIver, and Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB) chief executive Michelle Riddalls have received an honour along with over 1,200 other recipients.
Read more: Boots chief among 3 pharmacists recognised in Queen’s Jubilee Honours list
The honours “recognises unsung heroes who have made outstanding contributions to their communities across the UK”, the announcement said.
The trio were awarded the following:
- Kurtz was awarded the Medallists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) for his services to community pharmacy in South Norwood, London.
- McIver received the Commanders of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the pharmacy profession and to patient safety in Scotland.
- Riddalls achieved an Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to consumer health.
“Humbled and thrilled”
The PAGB, which represents manufacturers of over-the-counter (OTC) medications and promotes self-care in the healthcare industry, congratulated Riddalls for her “courage, tenacity and tireless dedication”.
PAGB president Bas Vorsteveld said “since Michelle became Chief Executive in 2020, she has consistently gone above and beyond, contributing her own time disproportionately to supporting the UK Government during Brexit as well as championing self-care”.
Riddalls supported the government during Brexit negotiations by proposing “potential solutions which helped drive the changes needed at both a UK and EU level” as well as ensuring “continued access to OTC medicines in Northern Ireland post-Brexit”, the PAGB said.
Read more: Three pharmacists recognised in Queen’s New Year Honours list
It added she contributed to the government’s policy thinking on medicines reclassification so more patients can access products for self-treatable conditions, which the PAGB said could “result in a 5% reduction in NHS prescribing and could save the NHS £1.4bn”.
Riddalls said she was “truly humbled and thrilled” to receive the award as the recognition is “beyond anything I could have imagined receiving for doing a job that I am so passionate about”.
“Contributing to the self-care agenda and the role played by increased availability of OTC medicines in self-care gives me a personal sense of satisfaction and benefits consumers, GP practices and community pharmacy as well as the OTC medicines industry,” she said.
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Within the health sector, actor Stephen Fry received a Knighthood for his work in mental health awareness. He has been president of the mental health charity Mind since 2011.
The List also features three centenarians as the oldest recipients, and two 18-year-olds as the youngest.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised the “ordinary people” who “go out and do extraordinary things for their communities” and thanked them for their “incredible contribution”.
“They represent the very best of the UK and that core value of service which I put at the centre of everything this government does,” he added.
Read more: Former NI CPO among pharmacists named in Queen’s Birthday Honours
C+D have reported on previous honours list recipients, as Boots chief pharmacist Marc Donovan was one of three pharmacists to be awarded for their services to the profession in the Queen’s Jubilee Birthday honours list in June 2022.
And three pharmacists were awarded in the Queen’s New Year honours list for 2022 in recognition of their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
