Working across boundaries
Authors: White Simon , McKenzie Cathrine A , Bond Christine , Guirguis Amira , Donyai Parastou 
Published: November 2024

We are delighted to publish the abstracts presented at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Annual Conference 2024 in this International Journal of Pharmacy Practice Issue Supplement. The conference entitled ‘Working across boundaries: Embracing new opportunities and empowering excellence’ included the themes of: Enhancing patient care; Advancing the workforce; Science & Research; and Your RPS. It was held both online and in person at Convene, 133 Houndsditch, London on 8 November 2024.

As the flagship event for the RPS, the conference hosted a full day of discussions centred on the topic of cross-boundary working, from dealing with medicines shortages, to prescribing and clinical supervision, to the strategic work of the RPS, and finally to innovations and research that will be shaping practice.

The morning’s keynote presentation was delivered by Dr Liz O'Riordan, a breast oncology surgeon who herself has had breast cancer three times, speaking on the topic of high-quality care from the perspectives of being both a medical doctor and a patient. The conference also included a keynote panel discussion in the afternoon with the four of the United Kingdom’s Chief Pharmaceutical Officers, namely David Webb (NHS England), Andrew Evans (Welsh Government), Cathy Harrison (Northern Ireland), and Alison Strath (Scotland). The event included a multitude of research and innovation presentations, as posters and orals, many published as abstracts herewith. We were particularly pleased to see the return of five oral research presentations selected from the submitted abstracts, covering a breadth of methodologies.

We would like to acknowledge all those who have contributed to making this event happen, in particular members of the conference steering committee co-chaired by Helen Chang and Anna Pielach at the RPS; Leah Burton and Lauren Ross from the RPS Science and Research team who managed the abstract processes; Dr Christopher Martin and Dr Diane Ashiru-Oredope, also from the RPS Science and Research team, who joined the Conference Abstract Review Panel; Science and Research Committee members who joined us on the Conference Abstract Review Panel, namely Dr Mar Estupiñan Fdez. de Mesa, Dr Andy Fox, Prof. Amira Guirguis, Dr Gillian Hawksworth, Prof. Delyth James, Dr Rachel Palmer, and Dr Ka-Wai Wan, as well as additional members of the Conference Abstract Review Panel, including Dr Paul Forsyth, Ola Howell, Dr Louise Hughes, Dr Matthew Ivory, Prof. Catriona Mathieson, Prof. Hamde Nazar, Prof. Philip Rogers, Dr Julian Smith, and Dr Sara Visram.

In common with previous years, this Supplement has been prepared ahead of the conference, so that it is ready in time.

Simon White, Cathrine McKenzie, Christine Bond, Amira Guirguis, and Parastou Donyai

Simon White, Deputy Chair of the RPS Science and Research Committee and co-Chair of the Conference Abstract Review Panel

Keele University

Cathrine A McKenzie, member of the RPS Science and Research Committee and co-Chair of the Conference Abstract Review Panel

University of Southampton

Christine Bond, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, member of the RPS Science and Research Committee and co-Chair of the Conference Abstract Review Panel

University of Aberdeen

Amira Guirguis, Chair of the RPS Science and Research Committee

Swansea University

Parastou Donyai, RPS Chief Scientist

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society