An academic pharmacist has been awarded an honorary fellowship by the GP’s professional membership body (June 20). 

Professor Mahendra Patel was recognised with the fellowship at the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) awards last week. 

He is the first pharmacist in England to be recognised with the RCGP fellowship, and second in the UK after pharmacist Christine Bond in Scotland received the award in 2017. 

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He told C+D of the “huge magnitude” he felt to be honoured by the body. 

“I’m not even a member of that institution so to be recognised from a completely different profession is a huge honour,” Patel said. “I just consider myself as a simple pharmacist.” 

‘GP land is open’ 

Patel’s career started out in community pharmacy before moving into academia and working in policy and research. 

He has been working with the RCGP since 2017 developing their research strategy through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) supported Race Equity Incubator. 

As a big advocate for cross-disciplinary collaboration, he led a parliamentary forum in October that sought professional integration across the royal colleges and leadership bodies to encourage better collaboration in healthcare. 

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Patel said the award will help “to bring community pharmacy into that envelope of primary care” and it shows that “GP land is open”. 

“If you look at independent prescribing that will happen next year, Pharmacy First expanding, it is helping people to think outside the box. 

“This is a recognition for non-medical professionals, so the opportunity is there not just for pharmacists, but healthcare professionals that are not doctors to come into this space. I hope that acts as an inspiration.” 

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In his other cross-sector work, Patel is the founding director of Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences Centre for Research Equity (CfRE) at the University of Oxford. 

His role with CfRE in the Principle and Panoramic clinical trials during the pandemic won him a Prix Galien Best Public Sector Innovation Award last year. 

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He added: “I’m all about bringing people together and I’ll be using this accolade to bring more people together. 

“I see it as a role and not a recognition. This enables me to continue the work I’m doing in that space.” 

RPS fellows 

It comes as the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) awarded 28 members as fellows of the RPS last month (May 28). 

The new additions include former LloydsPharmacy superintendent pharmacist Victoria Steele who said she was “indebted to my colleagues, family and friends who have supported me throughout my career”. 

Read more: Pharmacist nominated for NHS lifetime achievement award 

Well Pharmacy superintendent pharmacist and Greater Manchester LPC board member Ifti Khan also became a fellow, as well as Northern Ireland’s chief pharmaceutical officer Professor Cathy Harrison. 

Harrison said she was “humbled to have received this accolade” as Northern Ireland health minister Mike Nesbitt said it was “well-deserved” for her work with the Medicines Optimisation Quality Framework (MOQF), Pharmacy Workforce Review and the rollout of General Practice pharmacists.