After four years in the top job, Tess Fenn announced her intention to step down as APTUK president at the Association’s annual conference. Here, she speaks about her decision

Why did you decide to step down as president?

“My decision to stand down has been very hard to make as my passion for pharmacy, APTUK and the continuing evolving role and development of pharmacy technicians is steadfast. I have not made this difficult decision lightly, however it is based on a number of considerations. Some are for personal reasons; as life moves on and I need to spend more time with my family. Also, as I am retired from the NHS and am no longer working in pharmacy practice, I feel now is the right time to hand over the leadership and presidency. This will give the space for a new president who can bring renewed vision and energy to the Association; one who is closer to the evolving pharmacy technician role and who is still part way along their career path and the profession’s future.”

What did you hope to achieve as president and how have you succeeded?

“When I took up my presidency in 2014, there were a number of challenges to modernise and implement quality management systems into the running of the organisation; to raise APTUKs profile with members, non-members and our stakeholders; increase the number of members; reach pharmacy technicians working in the community; and support the evolution of pharmacy technicians from an occupation status to that of a profession.

All of these challenges were, and still are to a certain extent, on-going however I feel that APTUK has grown its professional leadership status and is on an upward journey, steadily attracting and increasing membership of pharmacy technicians from all sectors. Through the dedication and tireless work of APTUK, pharmacy technicians are recognising the value of belonging to their leadership body; they are displaying professionalism and more are becoming advocates for their own profession.”

What will you take away from your presidency?

“I feel that I have made a number of valuable relationships and collaborations for APTUK in a variety of ways. I recognised during previous roles as the Kent branch secretary, education officer and vice president that APTUK could not work in isolation and indeed that would not be healthy for the whole pharmacy profession. I also recognised the power of networking, the value of meaningful conversations and being in the right place at the right time to provide the professional voice for pharmacy technicians and to ensure that our expertise, skills and knowledge can be utilised within the pharmacy team as pharmacy policy and services continues to evolve. From this I am delighted that APTUK now has representation on a number of national boards and pharmacy forums across all the devolved countries and has a number of formal agreements with other pharmacy representative organisations.”

What's next?

“I am looking forward to spending more time with my family and enjoying more leisure time, initially for re-fuelling my energy. I will always be an advocate for pharmacy technicians but I also have a passion for advocating integrated care and working towards a more patient-centred holistic approach in healthcare. One never knows what might come along and I will continue to seize opportunities that interest me. Having been co-opted back into the president’s position for an interim period, I will be supporting APTUK for the next six months and will work with the board of directors to look at succession planning.”

What are your hopes for the future of APTUK and the profession as a whole?

“I hope to see APTUK continue to grow and evolve into the professional leadership body it aspires to be. I would like to see support from the whole pharmacy profession and policy makers in helping APTUK to achieve this and to ensure it remains a viable and sustainable organisation. I would like to see the delivery of our vision ‘Leading pharmacy technicians to deliver professional excellence for patient-centred care’ and our soon-to-be-launched 2018-2021 strategy ‘Leadership with a purpose: Our next three years’. Also for APTUK and pharmacy technicians to be equally valued and utilised as pharmacy professionals, delivering an effective and safe pharmaceutical care for better patient outcomes.

“It has been my absolute honour to be the president of APTUK and I am humbled at the huge amount of messages I have received since the announcement of my intention to step down at the end of the year and I am truly appreciative of everyone’s kind words of gratitude.”

Find out what else happened at the APTUK conference 2018 here.