Dr Helen Ireland

Helen has a passion for the development of the future pharmacy workforce and has facilitated the trainee pharmacist programme for the South West at Pharmacy Workforce Development South for over ten years. Through this role, Helen has made links with the Health Education England South team and has been involved with pharmacy career research and promotion events.

Helen completed a Doctorate in Education in 2019, with her thesis exploring how professionalism is development and assessed in the (then) pre-registration pharmacist placement from different perspectives. The work was published in May 2022 in the International Journal of Pharmacy Practice.

Helen is enthusiastic about all pharmacy professionals undertaking research and quality improvement in day to day practice.

Helen has been part of the team providing pharmacy services to medical wards at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston for many years until Helen went on maternity leave. Recently Helen volunteered to work weekends as part of the Covid-19 vaccination team within UHBW. During the pandemic, Helen also restarted locuming within community pharmacy.

Out of work, Helen enjoys growing vegetables, making cakes and has recently started running 10Ks!

Twitter: @helenjireland

Reason for applying for the scheme

Helen is proud to be a pharmacist and excited about how pharmacy teams contribute to patient wellbeing today and in the future. Helen feels integral, open and thoughtful leadership is pivotal to ongoing innovation and improvement in the NHS.

Helen has seen how the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Clinical Fellow Scheme has the potential to shape and network aspiring pharmacist leaders.

Helen is excited to be joining the General Pharmaceutical Council; sharing her experiences, understanding pharmacy from a different and national perspective and working on projects to support pharmacy teams make a bigger and more valued contribution to the wellbeing of people.

Helen hopes that being a clinical fellow will allow her the undertake the opportunity to formally be taught and reflect on her own leadership skills, be challenged, and compassionately support other fellows across FMLM on their leadership journey.