Mildred Johnson, the Chief Pharmacist at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW), has been appointed to the UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board.

One of nine independent expert members, Mildred will play a pivotal role in shaping and supporting the work of the Board, which has been established by the Department of Health and Social Care and will allow greater collaboration across the UK pharmacy professional leadership bodies and specialist professional groups.

Currently Chief Pharmacist and Clinical Director of Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation, Mildred is also Director of NHS-Industry Partnerships for Core Clinical Services at the Trust. Her career as a registered hospital pharmacist spans 29 years in both the secondary and tertiary care sectors, and she holds board positions and chairs committees in a variety of sectors including healthcare, pharmaceutical publishing and school education.

Mildred contributes to pharmacy literature, education and transformation through published articles, national webinars and conferences. She also has strong skills and experience in developing partnerships and collaborative projects between the NHS and industry.

Mildred was appointed by a panel including: Sir Hugh Taylor, Independent Chair, UK PPL Advisory Board (Chair); Dr Marina Soltan, Clinical Fellow, NHS England, and Honorary Academic Respiratory Registrar, University Hospitals Birmingham; and David Webb, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for England.

The Board includes leaders of the highest calibre with an outstanding track record in, strong understanding of, or lived experience in, health and care, who are able to represent the patient and public interest, with expertise in leadership, education, research and academia, as well as experience beyond the pharmacy professions.

Its objectives include the development of independent prescribing as part of the initial education and training for pharmacists, and an expansion of the clinical role of pharmacy technicians.

Commenting on her appointment, Mildred said: “First and foremost, I am grateful to God for my rewarding professional journey. It is a great honour and privilege to be appointed to the national leadership board of the profession I am most passionate about. Pharmacy teams impact on almost every aspect of healthcare and make a huge contribution to patient care.

The establishment of the UK PPL Board is a major step forward in working collaboratively across pharmacy leadership bodies and specialty groups, to present a strong and unified voice to government, public and patients. The aim is to maximise the opportunities in pharmacy, and safely advance the roles of our workforce to support our expanding healthcare system.”

The Trust’s Medical Director, Dr Sara Mumford, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and I congratulate Millie on her appointment. Since joining the Trust, she has brought an incredible range of innovations to our Pharmacy services, including her exciting industry partnership work with Novartis. Her work to develop EPMA has completely transformed ways of working for our pharmacists, improved patient safety by reducing medication errors, and given clinical staff more time to spend with patients. We are all extremely proud that she has the opportunity to share her expertise more widely and influence at a national level.”