Pharmacist receives national recognition
James Lee, Senior Pharmacist with our Perinatal Service, has been recognised at a national conference after receiving a runners-up award for a service evaluation poster exploring the role of perinatal pharmacists across the UK.
James presented the poster alongside Sam Taylor, Advanced Clinical Pharmacist from Lincolnshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, at the 2026 College of Mental Health Pharmacy (CMHP) Conference at the University of Warwick. The poster (below) was awarded runners-up in the Service Evaluation Poster category.
The project, Mapping the Role of Perinatal Pharmacists: A National Service Evaluation, surveyed pharmacists working in specialist perinatal mental health services across the UK. Twenty-five pharmacists responded from every region of the country, providing the first national snapshot of the perinatal pharmacy workforce.
The evaluation found that perinatal pharmacists are highly skilled and clinically active members of multidisciplinary teams, with many qualified as non-medical prescribers and regularly supporting women, families and healthcare professionals with complex medication decisions during pregnancy and the postnatal period. Differences in staffing levels and role development between services highlighted opportunities for greater standardisation and investment in the profession.
A key outcome of the work extended beyond the conference itself. Following the service evaluation, the Perinatal Mental Health Pharmacy Network worked with the Royal College of Psychiatrists Perinatal Quality Network to help update national standards for community perinatal mental health services. The updated standards, published in July 2026, now recognise pharmacists as key members of community perinatal teams, strengthen expectations around pharmacist staffing, and emphasise the importance of specialist perinatal expertise.
James said: "It was a great to present this work on behalf of the Perinatal Mental Health Pharmacy Network and to receive national recognition alongside Sam. The project highlights the value that pharmacists bring to perinatal mental health services and demonstrates how collaborative work can help shape national standards and improve care for women and families."
The conference brought together mental health pharmacists from across the UK to share innovation, research and best practice, with the award recognising the impact that perinatal pharmacy is having on service development nationally.
