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James Paget University Hostpital
25 September 2026
Celebrating World Pharmacist Day

Today, Friday 25 September, is World Pharmacist Day and we’re celebrating our Pharmacy team who play a major role in the care of patients across our hospital.

Our Pharmacists supply, and work to ensure the effective use of, medicines for patients and, on average, dispense around 900 prescriptions from our hospital pharmacy every day.

Pharmacists have an expert knowledge of medicines, and how they work to treat illnesses and are uniquely positioned at the intersection of medicines supply, scientific innovations and patient care delivery.

You can learn more about some of our team, including what inspired their careers, by reading their profiles here.

To find out more about careers in Pharmacy please click here.

A group of 17 our Pharmacists stand in a group, outside in one of our hospital courtyards, facing the camera and smiling. Many of them wear pale green tunics/ shirts which are the uniform of the pharmacy team and many wear green lanyards. The group are a diverse mix of men and women of different ages and ethnicities.

A graphic featuring Jijo. Text reads: What inspired you to become a pharmacist? I was inspired to become a pharmacist because I have always been interested in healthcare and wanted a career where I could make a meaningful difference to people’s lives. What area of pharmacy do you currently work in, and what does your role involve? I am a rotational pharmacist. My rotations allow me to gain experience across different areas of pharmacy, and I am currently doing my Cardiology and Stroke rotation. My role involves supporting patients with their medicines, reviewing and optimising medication, working closely with the multidisciplinary team and contributing to safe and effective patient care. Did you always know you wanted to be a pharmacist? Yes, pharmacy was always a career I was interested in. I qualified as a pharmacist in India and worked towards continuing my pharmacy career when I moved to the UK in 2022. I completed the Overseas Pharmacists Assessment Programme (OSPAP), which was an important step in adapting my previous experience and knowledge to UK pharmacy practice. What do you enjoy most about being a pharmacist? I enjoy being able to make a difference to patients through medicines and being part of a multidisciplinary healthcare team. Working in different rotations has also given me the opportunity to keep learning, develop my clinical skills and experience different aspects of hospital pharmacy. What advice would you give to someone considering a career in pharmacy? Pharmacy is a rewarding career with many different opportunities, so I would encourage anyone interested in healthcare and science to consider it. For internationally qualified pharmacists, moving to a new country and adapting to a different healthcare system can be challenging, but it is definitely possible with determination and a willingness to keep learning. My advice would be to believe in yourself, be open to new experiences and never stop developing your knowledge and skills.

A graphic featuring Gemma - text reads; What inspired you to become a pharmacist? I was drawn to pharmacy because it combines science, healthcare and direct patient impact. I enjoyed the scientific aspects of medicines and was fascinated by how the right treatment can make such a significant difference to a person's health and wellbeing. Pharmacy offered the opportunity to use specialist knowledge while working as part of a multidisciplinary team to improve patient care and safety. What area of pharmacy do you currently work in, and what does your role involve? I currently work in hospital pharmacy as the Deputy Chief Pharmacist. My role involves providing strategic and operational leadership for pharmacy services, supporting the delivery of safe and effective medicines use, leading service improvement initiatives, and working closely with clinical teams across the organisation. I am also passionate about workforce development, education and creating opportunities for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to develop their careers. Did you always know you wanted to be a pharmacist? I always loved sciences and wanted to pursue a career that made a difference to people, I explored different career options before deciding on pharmacy. One of the great things about pharmacy is the variety of career pathways it offers throughout your professional life. What do you enjoy most about being a pharmacist? One of the things I love most about pharmacy is that no two days are the same. From supporting complex clinical decisions to leading service improvements and developing future pharmacy professionals, it is a career that continually challenges and rewards you while making a real difference to patient care. What advice would you give to someone considering a career in pharmacy? Be curious, embrace lifelong learning and take every opportunity to gain experience in different areas of practice. Pharmacy is a profession that is constantly evolving and offers a huge range of career opportunities in hospitals, primary care, community pharmacy, industry, research and leadership. The skills you develop will enable you to make a meaningful difference to patients and the wider healthcare system throughout your career.

A graphic featuring Chitra. Text reads; What inspired you to become a pharmacist? I have always been fascinated by science and how medicines work to heal the body, but I also wanted a role where I could directly support people. Pharmacy allowed me to combine these passions, giving me the tools to be a trusted expert who helps patients navigate their health journeys. What area of pharmacy do you currently work in, and what does your role involve? I currently work as a rotational hospital pharmacist. My daily role involves reviewing complex medication regimens, tracking lab results, optimising & adjusting medication doses and collaborating closely with multidisciplinary ward teams. I also counsel patients to ensure they safely understand their treatments before they are discharged. Did you always know you wanted to be a pharmacist? Yes, I always knew this was my calling, but my journey was unique. After completing my pharmacy degree overseas and working there as a registered hospital pharmacist, I moved to the UK. Adapting to a completely new healthcare system was a massive learning curve. I completed the OSPAP (Overseas Pharmacists Assessment Programme) to bridge my qualifications and did my 52-week foundation training in a busy community pharmacy, which provided an excellent baseline and built my critical skills in UK pharmacy law. What do you enjoy most about being a pharmacist? My heart was always set on hospital pharmacy, so registering with the GPhC (General Pharmaceutical Council) and finally transitioning into the hospital sector was incredibly rewarding. Moving from a retail setting to the clinical wards of an acute hospital trust was a major shift, as the daily roles and pacing are entirely different. I love the clinical challenges of the ward environment, the opportunity to learn every day, collaborating with the team and the chance to ensure our patients are clinically optimized and safe. What advice would you give to someone considering a career in pharmacy? Be open to change and embrace every learning opportunity. Moving from overseas and transitioning between community and hospital pharmacy taught me that our profession is incredibly diverse. The journey requires hard work and adaptability, but being able to optimize high-risk medications at a patient's bedside makes every stepping stone worth it.

A graphic featuring Daniela. Text reads: • What inspired you to become a pharmacist? – I liked science and got dizzy at the sight of blood, so my mum (a nurse) suggested pharmacy. • What area of pharmacy do you currently work in, and what does your role involve? – Antimicrobial stewardship. I spend a big part of my day reducing unnecessary antibiotic use, working on projects like penicillin allergy de-labelling and looking at how bugs become resistant. The other half of my time is spent trying to convince people that not every infection needs IV Tazocin. • Did you always know you wanted to be a pharmacist? - No, I wanted to be a hairdresser, so there was just a slight change of plan! Pharmacy happened because I realised I liked science and enjoyed working with people. • What do you enjoy most about being a pharmacist? - Talking to patients and solving complex clinical cases. I especially enjoy situations where you can't just follow a guideline because most patients don't fit neatly into one. • What advice would you give to someone considering a career in pharmacy? - Absolutely do it. There are so many different career paths and opportunities to find your thing. It's also a great job for someone who loves asking questions and moonlighting as a detective when a patient says they take ‘a little white pill for blood pressure’.

A graphic featuring Chris - text reads: What inspired you to become a pharmacist? Science was my best subject at school so I wanted to work in a lab, and then decided a pharmacy degree would be a good qualification to have as I could go into drug development or health studies. Through the course I learned more about pharmacists and their role supporting patients and so I went for a job in community pharmacy when I qualified. What area of pharmacy do you currently work in, and what does your role involve? For the last 9 years I have been the Chief Pharmacist of the James Paget Hospital. I lead the hospital’s pharmacy service and am responsible for making sure medicines are used safely and effectively across Trust services. Did you always know you wanted to be a pharmacist? No, this was a last minute decision when filling in the application form. I was thinking of tree surgery or forestry before that. What do you enjoy most about being a pharmacist? I really enjoy the variety, no two days are the same. And pharmacy combines science, healthcare, problem-solving and working with people. There are so many different directions the role can take you. I like being able to make a difference, both to staff, individual patients and to how healthcare is delivered more widely. What advice would you give to someone considering a career in pharmacy? Don’t think there is only one route through pharmacy (I've worked in several different sectors). There are so many different careers you can build from the same starting point. Get as much experience as you can, be curious, ask lots of questions and say yes to opportunities that stretch you.

A graphic featuring Lucy. Test reads; What inspired you to become a pharmacist? I had a job in community pharmacy and recognised some of the medicines from my previous work with animals. I became really interested in all the different medicines and how they helped people, and that interest led me to attend university and become a pharmacist. What area of pharmacy do you currently work in, and what does your role involve? I work within Women's and Children's services, with much of my role focussed on paediatrics. I work closely with ward teams, community teams and the wider pharmacy team to make sure medicines are safe and appropriate, solve medication-related problems and help how we provide care. Did you always know you wanted to become a pharmacist? Absolutely not! I had a very different career before pharmacy and came to the profession later. One of the things I value now is how many different directions a pharmacy career can take, and I'm still finding new areas that interest me. What do you enjoy most about being a pharmacist? I enjoy solving problems and knowing that what I do can make a difference. I also really enjoy the variety, no two days are the same and there is always something new to learn. What advice would you give to someone considering a career in pharmacy? Remain open-minded and explore as many different areas of pharmacy that you can. Pharmacy is much broader than most people first realise and your career can change and develop in directions you never expected.

A graphic featuring Rachel - text reads; • What inspired you to become a pharmacist? I became a Pharmacist because I was interested in a career in healthcare and liked how pharmacy combines sciences like chemistry and biology. It also offers many different career paths – I have worked in community pharmacies all over East Anglia and held several different roles in hospital. • What area of pharmacy do you currently work in, and what does your role involve? I currently lead the Pharmacy Aseptic Service which supplies chemotherapy and other medicines to be administered by infusion or injection. This means they have to be completely free from any contamination that could cause infection so they are made inside special isolator cabinets with a filtered airflow. My role involves making sure that the service meets all the required regulatory standards to ensure the medicines are safe, effective and of the highest quality. • Did you always know you wanted to be a pharmacist? No, I considered lots of different healthcare and biomedical careers. I chose Pharmacy because it had a clearly defined career path but also kept doors open to other careers. • What do you enjoy most about being a pharmacist? Pharmacy is very dynamic - new medicines and treatments are being developed all the time so there is always something new to learn. • What advice would you give to someone considering a career in pharmacy? Pharmacy is a great career if you are interested in science and healthcare. Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians can be found in all sorts of different sectors including hospital, community, industry, media, research… and much more! If you’re considering a pharmacy career, try to get some work experience in different areas to find out if it’s for you.