Pharmacist recognised for his continued length of service

A gtd healthcare clinical pharmacist has been commended for his 45-year continued membership as a registered pharmacist.

Malcolm Fagleman, clinical pharmacist at Millbrook Medical Practice and Mossley Medical Practice, received a letter and certificate from The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's president and chief executive officer in recognition of his registration as a pharmacist with the society since 1978.

Malcolm (right) expressed his gratitude saying it was fantastic to be acknowledged for his loyalty to medicine.

“I thought to myself – what has happened in all that time – well I suppose I know what happened, most of it was spent working as a pharmacist, mainly in primary care,” he said.

“Initially, I worked in community pharmacies, mostly as a locum. I was in the early wave of pharmacists who, in the mid-1990s, started working in GP practices during the days of GP practice fundholding. I then moved into primary care groups and later primary care trusts, and in 2016, I started working at Tameside GP practices, reviewing medication for patients over 75-years-old.

“I qualified as an independent prescriber in 2017 and started working for gtd healthcare full-time as a clinical pharmacist in primary care. Currently, I work at Mossley Medical Practice and Millbrook Medical Practice and work a session in the Clinical Hub as well. I have clinics most days where I see patients for minor illnesses and medication reviews. I deal with queries about medication from staff and patients, hospital discharge prescriptions and outpatient clinic letters.

“Looking back over the past 45-years, a lot has changed. In 1978, patients with diabetes needing insulin were given a reusable glass syringe, which they kept in a metal box under the methylated spirit and were allowed 10 metal reusable hypodermic needles a month. Barbiturates were being used as sleeping pills although many GPs gave the new safer alternative, nitrazepam.

“The drug of choice for arthritis was indomethacin because of its low incidence of side effects. The treatment of asthma was revolutionised with the new Ventolin inhaler and the latest treatment for hypertension was atenolol.

“Pharmacists were very restricted in what they could sell over the counter and provided few services on the NHS aside from dispensing prescriptions. The idea of a pharmacist working in a GP practice and issuing their prescription was sheer fantasy. How things have changed!”

The practice team and Katy Matthews, operations manager, Millbrook Medical Practice and Mossley Medical Practice, are extremely proud of Malcolm and his fantastic achievement.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society is a professional membership body for pharmacists and pharmacies and aims to become the world leader in the safe and effective use of medicines.