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Heather Smith is the recipient of this year's Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm) Barnett Award, for her outstanding commitment to mentoring pharmacy professionals and supporting their professional development.

The RCPharm said Heather, a consultant pharmacist for older people at West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, has helped pharmacists throughout her career to build their clinical expertise, confidence, research and leadership skills, while advancing medicines optimisation for older people.

The Barnett Award was established in memory of Professor Nina Barnett, who died in 2023. It is awarded to Royal College of Pharmacy members who have made outstanding contributions to the development of the profession and have dedicated their careers to supporting, mentoring and advancing others.

Heather said: “It is an absolute honour to receive this award. Nina was so inspiring and I learnt so much from her, as did so many colleagues. Amongst other things, Nina inspired me to complete a formal coaching qualification. Coaching, mentoring and educating others, and then seeing them grow and prosper has brought me so much joy in my career.

“It’s bittersweet to receive this award as Nina is still very much missed, but we are determined to keep her legacy of developing others and person-centred medicines optimisation for older people alive.”

One of Heather’s most significant achievements has been establishing a peer support group for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians working across primary care, community services and care homes in Leeds. The group has been running for more than ten years, providing a forum for pharmacists to discuss complex cases, reflect on clinical decisions and learn from one another. She also helped develop a practical toolkit to enable other regions to establish similar groups.