World Pharmacists Day 2025

Continuing our series of celebrating our clinical teams World Pharmacist Day is on 25 September, and the theme for this year is Think Health, Think Pharmacy. This theme was chosen by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) to highlight the essential role pharmacists play in creating robust and sustainable healthcare systems and to advocate for greater investment in the profession

On September 25th 2025, we celebrate World Pharmacists Day – a day to recognise the role played by pharmacists across the healthcare system. 

But what does a pharmacist actually do? We would like to think the previously common misconception about us picking a box off a shelf and labelling it is starting to be rethought… Pharmacists are medicines experts – side effects, interactions, making changes to reflect your body’s needs – that’s our job! Whilst a GP is trained to diagnose and treat, we make sure the prescribed medicine and dose is safe for you. We are constantly training and developing within our role to keep up with the changes in healthcare – in fact from September next year all newly qualified pharmacists will be prescribers from day one. It’s an exciting time to be a pharmacist and we’re always eager to try our hand at something new.

So, why choose pharmacy? Of course this answer will be different for each pharmacist, even within the MDT pharmacy team, our reasons are all vastly different:

• To give people a chance to play an active role in their own healthcare, to help them understand what they are taking, why they are taking it, and give them space to ask questions
• A desire since being young and watching family members in other healthcare roles
• The fascination of how medicines can change people’s lives, from minor ailments to chronic conditions
• Or perhaps a passion for healthcare without the stomach for bodily fluids…

There are so many reasons why we chose this career and why we love it so much.

And why are pharmacists important? It is estimated that up to two-fifths of A&E attendances could be better treated elsewhere, with increases in attendances for sore throats, headaches, insomnia and nasal congestion – all of which can be treated in pharmacy. So with this World Pharmacists Day’s theme being “think health, think pharmacist”, we would urge everyone to consider the value and availability of a pharmacist when they have queries about their health. We are indeed professionals with plenty of training, available for advice on most high streets, and able to signpost or refer you on to other services if needed. Think health, think pharmacist – visit us first.