Overview
In this thought-provoking episode, Johnathan sits down with Professor Zubin Austin to explore how the traditional foundations of pharmacy — knowledge and expertise — are being disrupted by artificial intelligence, misinformation, and changing societal values. Together, they unpack what this means for pharmacists’ professional identity, leadership, and the evolving power dynamics within healthcare.

Key Themes & Discussion Points:

• The Myth of the “Expert in Medicines”

  • Pharmacy’s historical reliance on expert power as defined by French & Raven’s classic social power model.

  • The self-anointed nature of expertise — and why it may no longer be enough.

• AI and the Erosion of Informational Power

  • How AI democratises knowledge and challenges professional authority.

  • The rise of “health influencers” and the collapse of shared truth in the post-expert era.

• Leadership and the Power Gap in Pharmacy

  • Insights from research showing pharmacists’ discomfort with using power explicitly.

  • Why leadership education must evolve beyond charisma toward genuine influence and accountability.

• Learning from Nursing: The Power of Care

  • Nursing’s success in defining itself through care rather than knowledge.

  • The origins of pharmaceutical care in the 1990s — and how it can be reimagined today.

  • Can pharmacists redefine their identity around care, empathy, and patient outcomes?

• Pharmaceutical Care 2.0 — The Five Pillars

  1. Put patients first

  2. Define clear, reproducible standards of care

  3. Integrate fully across health professions

  4. Deliver measurable outcomes through innovation

  5. Align payment with system-wide value

• The Central Question:

  • When expertise is no longer enough, is the power of care enough?

Looking Ahead:
This conversation sets the stage for the 2026 Pharmacy in Practice Conference, themed around “Power, Leadership, and the Future of Pharmacy.”
📅 Date: March 25th, 2026
📍 Location: Novotel Edinburgh Park, Edinburgh
🎟️ Registration: Now open at [Pharmacy in Practice website]

Credits:
Hosted by Johnathan Laird
Guest: Professor Zubin Austin
Produced by Pharmacy in Practice

In this episode of the Pharmacy in Practice Podcast, host Johnathan Laird and guest Chief Executive of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Paul Bennett discuss leadership challenges, the evolution of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), and the future of pharmacists.

Key Discussion Points:

• Discussion and acknowledgement of leadership challenges, particularly in balancing diverse organisational interests.
• Discussion on the RPS and its evolving relevance to pharmacists.
• Bennett provides insights into the RPS's transformation since 2010, including membership decline and efforts to demonstrate value.
• Debate over whether the RPS prioritises organisational survival over representing pharmacists' interests.
• Exploration of the potential establishment of a Royal College of Pharmacy and its implications for the profession.
• Discussion on maintaining independence while ensuring organisational sustainability.
• Explanation of the upcoming Special Resolution Vote on RPS’s Royal Charter changes.
• Key questions about the RPS’s mission, independence, and expected changes for pharmacists were raised.

Tune in for an insightful conversation on leadership, governance, and the evolving landscape of pharmacy.

In this episode of the Pharmacy in Practice podcast, host Johnathan Laird sits down with U.S. pharmacist Steve Smoke for an insightful conversation spanning the current political climate in the U.S., the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) in pharmacy, and innovative approaches to patient care.

We are also joined by our fantastic new editor, Grace Lewis, and we are revealing our new podcast jingle.

Johnathan and Steve share their unique perspectives, shaped by their experiences in Scotland and the U.S., respectively. Highlights include:

AI in Pharmacy:

Johnathan’s enthusiasm for AI and its potential to revolutionize pharmacy. Steve’s candid discussion about the intimidation many pharmacists feel towards AI due to insufficient training. A call for foundational conversations to demystify AI and equip pharmacists with the tools they need to embrace it.

Steve’s Professional Journey:

Transitioning from clinical pharmacy to informatics, a path shaped by experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. His upcoming role as the lead informatics pharmacist for his health system.

Innovative Concepts in Pharmacy: Johnathan introduces "technoceutical care," an approach that leverages technology to enhance patient outcomes. Contrasting perspectives on pharmacy practice in hospital versus outpatient settings. Vaccination and Antimicrobial Resistance:

Steve’s advocacy for current vaccines and the potential for new vaccines to combat resistant pathogens. Johnathan’s critical view of the pharmaceutical industry's motives sparked a balanced discussion on the role of vaccines in public health. The Role of AI in Pharmacy:

Categorizing AI’s potential applications into clinical pharmacy, operations, and administrative tasks. Ethical considerations surrounding "Sovereign Data" and the importance of individual data ownership and transparency. The transformative potential of AI and the challenges of integrating it into pharmacy practice. Key Takeaway:
Johnathan and Steve’s conversation provides a thought-provoking exploration of the intersections between technology, public health, and the evolving role of pharmacists. As they reflect on the future, they share a vision of reconvening in a decade to assess how far the field has come.

Tune in to Learn:

How AI is shaping the future of pharmacy. The innovative concept of "technoceutical care." Insights into vaccination strategies to address antimicrobial resistance. Ethical and practical considerations for adopting new technologies in pharmacy practice.

Follow Us: Stay updated with the latest episodes and discussions by subscribing to the Pharmacy in Practice podcast.

Breaking the Cycle: How Pharmacists Can Lead the Fight Against Scotland's Drug Death Crisis

Guest: Professor Catriona Matheson

Episode Summary:
In this thought-provoking episode, we sit down with Professor Catriona Matheson, an accomplished pharmacist, researcher, and advocate for harm reduction in tackling Scotland’s drug-related death crisis. With one of the highest drug-related mortality rates in Europe, Scotland faces a pressing challenge. Professor Matheson shares her insights, highlighting the crucial role pharmacists and pharmacy teams play in reducing harm, saving lives, and addressing stigma in the community.

We discuss:

• Professor Matheson’s career journey, from her early days in community pharmacy to becoming a leading voice in harm reduction.
• How pharmacies can act as accessible, trusted hubs for at-risk individuals.
• The evolution of harm reduction strategies and the vital role of naloxone in preventing overdoses.
• Insights from drug-related death reviews in Aberdeen and how they inform better practices.
• The Scottish Pharmacy Alliance’s mission to innovate and collaborate across the profession.
• Practical ways pharmacists can reduce stigma and create a welcoming environment for vulnerable populations.

This episode is packed with actionable advice, inspiring stories, and a vision for the future of pharmacy in tackling substance misuse.

Key Takeaways:

1. Pharmacies are frontline responders: With accessibility and trust at the heart of their role, pharmacies are uniquely positioned to offer life-saving services like naloxone distribution and harm reduction advice.
2. Early intervention saves lives: Pharmacists are often the first to notice signs of distress, providing critical opportunities for early support.
3. Stigma is a barrier: Addressing stigma through training, empathy, and trauma-informed care is essential to building trust with vulnerable populations.
4. Collaboration drives innovation: The Scottish Pharmacy Alliance is pioneering new approaches, such as embedding pharmacists in outreach teams to serve the homeless and other vulnerable groups.

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

• Learn more about the Scottish Pharmacy Alliance.
• Information on take-home naloxone kits and their distribution in Scotland.
• Training resources for pharmacists on harm reduction and trauma-informed care.

Upcoming Event:

📅 Don’t miss the Pharmacy in Practice Conference on 12th March 2025 at The Novotel Edinburgh Park! Join us for a day of impactful sessions, networking opportunities, and actionable insights to shape the future of pharmacy.

Register at www.pharmacyinpractice.uk

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share it with your colleagues. Let’s keep the conversation going about how pharmacy can transform lives and communities.

I was very pleased to be joined by Paul Forsyth and Barry Maguire to discuss the application of the collaborative care model in pharmacy. Paul, Barry and I explore how the collaborative care model may be applied to the pharmacy profession. Alienation, detachment general demoralisation and isolation are all consequences of pharmacists not feeling truly empowered to work autonomously in their role. Key questions discussed

• What is the value of collaboration in the workplace?
• How can the profession of pharmacy promote collaboration and autonomy among its members to improve job satisfaction and patient care?
• How can the profession of pharmacy address the issue of alienation and anxiety among its members?
• What is the impact of the changing roles in pharmacy on job satisfaction and professional identity?
• Why is debate and discussion about values and identity important?

Read the full paper below

The Collaborative Care Model: Realizing healthcare values and increasing responsiveness in the pharmacy workforce

Georgia C. Richards DPhil (Oxon), BSc (Hons I) is a research fellow at the University of Oxford. We sat down to discuss fundamentally why healthcare, and specifically pharmacy, appears to be consistently poor at reporting, sharing and learning from significant and fatal incidents involving patients.

• EBM Special Study Theme (SST) Lead for the undergraduate medical school, CEBM
• Research Fellow, ODI
• Associate Editor, BMJ EBM
• Fellow, RROx

Georgia coordinates and teaches Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) and systematic review modules for the undergraduate Medical School. She has a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil/PhD) in Epidemiology from the University of Oxford (2021) and expertise in quantitative observational research, open data, open science and evidence synthesis. Georgia's list of publications is here. 

Georgia founded and leads the Preventable Deaths Tracker. She is an Open Data Institute (ODI) Research Fellow, an Associate Editor of BMJ Evidence Based Medicine, a Fellow of Reproducible Research Oxford (RROx), a Centre for Open Science (COS) Ambassador, a member of the Catalogue of Bias Collaboration, on the Steering Group for the Declaration to Improve Health Research, and a founding member of the Transparent & Open Research Collaboration in Health (TORCH).

Georgia welcomes supervision queries from undergraduate and graduate students on taught and research programmes who are interested in pursuing research in the following areas: 

• patient safety, preventable deaths, and harms in healthcare 
• pharmaco-epidemiology and pharmaco-device-vigilance
• open science, open data, and meta-research 

Georgia also welcomes contributions to the Preventable Deaths Tracker and Oxford Catalogue of Opioids.

Here are some links I mentioned in the podcast.

1. https://preventabledeathstracker.net/
2. Substack newsletter: https://preventabledeaths.substack.com/
3. Opioid deaths: https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdad147
4. Medicine deaths: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40264-023-01274-8
5. Responses using FOI’s https://doi.org/10.1007/s40264-017-0588-0
6. SR of medicine-related PFDs: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40290-023-00486-8
7. Impact of covid on medicine-related deaths: https://www.bps.ac.uk/publishing/pharmacology-matters/august-2022/pandemics,-pharmacology,-and-preventable-deaths
8. Deaths during covid: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjebm-2021-111834
9. The BJGP podcast on the private prescribing of opioids I mentioned came out last week which may be of interest: https://www.bjgplife.com/143
   

We were delighted to welcome Yasmin Karsan to the podcast to chat all things artificial intelligence.

Episode Synopsis

Johnathan and Yasmin discuss the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning on pharmacy practice. They acknowledged the difficulty in fully understanding this technology and its potential impact on the industry, including the existential questions it raises. Despite this, they express excitement for the possibilities that AI and machine learning can bring to pharmacy practice. They also discuss the challenges faced by community pharmacy in the wider NHS system and the need for better communication, stakeholder engagement, and technology.

Yasmin shares her entrepreneurial journey, including her experience in an accelerator program that helped her find a co-founder and develop an idea for a private prescribing tool to support pharmacies. She also discusses her current focus on developing a pharmacogenomics business using AI to target patients in a precise way. Karsan acknowledges the challenges of innovating in healthcare, including the resistance to change in the industry and the paternalistic mindset that can still exist. She also highlights the importance of networking and learning from experts in different fields when building a business.

Yasmin and Johnathan explore the potential benefits and challenges of incorporating AI in healthcare. They discuss the concerns around data privacy and bias, and the importance of recognizing and mitigating biases in AI. They also touch on the need for clinicians to oversee AI in healthcare to ensure that biased information or decisions are not being made.

They also discuss the potential risks and red flags of AI and technology, including the issue of bias and the lack of control over personal data and privacy. Overall, they emphasize the need for awareness and vigilance in the face of unknown unknowns.

We were delighted to be joined by Janice Perkins to chat about the current state of UK pharmacy. 

Janice has over 30 years of leadership experience in community pharmacy.  She’s the former Superintendent Pharmacist of Well Pharmacy, responsible for patient safety & well-being, regulatory & professional standards and delivery of the NHS contractual framework and services.

A key part of the role was ensuring colleagues were clear about their developing role within community pharmacy and using every opportunity to instill pride, passion and professionalism throughout the business.

A Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, Janice is Chair of the Community Pharmacy Patient Expert Advisory Group, a Visiting Professor in Community Pharmacy at Keele University and until recently was the Chair of the Community Pharmacy Patient Safety Group.

Janice is a former board member of the Company Chemists’ Association and the PSNC Committee member.

Leadership in Scottish Community pharmacy circles has been alive and kicking for some years now. The policy document 'The Right Medicine' published back in February 2002 was a seminal moment for Scottish community pharmacy and paved the way for the way pharmaceutical care has evolved north of the border. In the heady days just after Scottish devolution Chief Pharmaceutical Officier Bill Scott pushed through this plan to allow pharmacists and their teams in Scotland to allow patients in Scotland to realise the benefits of pharmaceutical care. 

"The Right Medicine: a strategy for pharmaceutical care in Scotland" was published on 4 February. It aims to help people to get the maximum benefit from their medicines. It outlines the way in which pharmacists and the Scottish Executive will work with stakeholders to improve public health; provide better access to care; deliver better quality services for people; and develop the pharmaceutical profession."

So it seems appropriate that just over two decades on years on we chat with the boss of one of the community pharmacy chains that grew out of this period of Scottish political and community pharmacy history. 

This interview is with Richard Stephenson. Richard has been Chief Operating Officer at Right Medicine Pharmacy for approximately 13 years. He is also Managing Director of the buying group Edinpharm and leads his own consultancy business, R5 Consult. 

In addition to these roles Richard also gives his time voluntarily to a number of worthy causes not least his role as Trustee at the Children's Panel. 

The team at Right Medicine Pharmacy began their journey in 2000 when business partners Jonathan Burton MBE and Noel Wicks took over the Campus Pharmacy at the University of Stirling. Since then the group has grown in size to 35 Pharmacies and over 250 team members. Right Medicine Pharmacy is now considered to be one of the most progressive and cutting-edge pharmacy service providers in Scotland.

References

Scottish Government Health and Social Care Directorates

Trevor Gore and I return with an introductory podcast revealing our plans for 2023.

We’ll rattle through the UK pharmacy news, catch up on stories beyond pharmacy and discuss our monthly featured interview.

It will hopefully be a lot of fun.

Patient group directions have traditionally been a ‘stop gap’ option, especially in the era before pharmacist independent prescribing. This debate will explore the future of patient group directions by community pharmacists. Many have lauded patient group directions as an excellent tool to extend the scope of practice of community pharmacists. However, many would say that a tick box technical process serves to continue the de-professionalisation of the pharmacist profession. In the coming years all pharmacists will qualify as independent prescribers but will they be able to make the step away from structured tick box pharmaceutical care or will they embrace uncertainty?

Professor Harry McQuillan

Chief executive of Community Pharmacy Scotland

In addition to his role at Community Pharmacy Scotland Harry is also visiting Professor at the University of Strathclyde and a RNID pension fund trustee.

Siddiqur Rahman

GP pharmacist

Siddiqur is a pharmacist who works in general practice, he is an independent prescriber, PCN clinical lead, Co-Director of the Pharmacist Co-operative and a PDA Union representative.

Professor Derek Evans

Travel health pharmacist

Derek Evans is a pharmacist who owns a private travel health consultancy. He has worked in community pharmacy in many specialist roles and senior management positions.

Farzana Haq

GP pharmacist

Practice pharmacist with experience in community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, primary care and NHS 24.