Meet our Retired Pharmacists' Expert Advisory Group Plus
Mary Tompkins (Chair)
Mary Tompkins (Chair)
Michael Beaman
Michael is a retired hospital pharmacist with a background in NHS management and Primary Care and Public Health.
He is a pharmacy advisor at NHS Resolution and a Community Ambassador to Sussex NHS, a member of the Royal Overseas League and the Society of Apothecaries, and a Fellow of the RPS, RSPH and the University of Hertfordshire.
Jennifer Boncey, FRPharmS (Secretary)
My 40 year practice career was spent in NHS secondary care, retiring in 2009 from my post as NHS Trust Chief Pharmacist.
Locally, I was an active member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society Brighton and Hove branch, the Sussex Branch of the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists and a Regional Facilitator for the College of Pharmacy Practice. I engaged both as a Committee member and held various Committee Officer roles, as well as helping to support and provide CPD opportunities. I was also an examiner for the College of Pharmacy Practice.
As a Committee member and Honorary Secretary of the RPS Retired Pharmacists' Expert Advisory Group (Plus) I provide support to the Committee and to the wider retired membership with the range of activities we provide.
In 2019 I was made a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
Sarah Cockbill
I qualified as a pharmacist in 1970 and practised as a registered pharmacist until 2019 when I left the Register of the General Pharmaceutical Council to focus on my current consulting activities.
I have wide experience in the academic, community, hospital, veterinary and regulatory areas of the pharmacy profession as well as research experience of wound management at a cellular level as swell as the chemistry and mode of action relating to the formulation of many of the materials applied.
I was founder Secretary of the Veterinary Pharmacy Association, am a past member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s (RPS) Membership Committee, am also a past member of the British Pharmacopoeia Commission’s Expert Panel for Veterinary Medicines, RPS’s Education Expert Advisory Panel & Education Reference Group and the RPS”s Veterinary Pharmacy Forum.
I was a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Welsh Pharmacy Board between 2012 & 2014 and Course Tutor for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s MSc in Veterinary Pharmacy between 2002 & 2015.
I was a Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain’s Professional Disciplinary Committee between 2006 & 2010 & the General Pharmaceutical Council’s Fitness to Practise Committee 2010-2012.
I was pharmacy member of Monmouthshire Local Health Board, a member of the Board’s Clinical Governance Committee, Primary Care Management Group and Continuing Care Panel between 2000 & 2009.
Lynn Haygarth
I have been a qualified pharmacist since 1976 and throughout my career I have been a keen member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. I am pleased to be accepted for the Retired Pharmacists Expert Advisory Panel as it helps to keep my passion for all things pharmacy related current.
In the past I have worked as a Community Pharmacist, a Mental Health Pharmacist, a Chief Pharmacist and finally on retirement from the NHS as a Lecturer on the pharmacy course at the University of Huddersfield. I loved working with the students and trying to instil in them a passion for pharmacy.
My networks include the College of Mental Health Pharmacy and I am a Fellow of the College. I am passionate about pharmacy and have always developed the role of the pharmacist in my clinical practice. I am keen to continue to be involved in the development of pharmacy practice and the development of the Royal College of the RPS.
As a Mental Health Pharmacist I have been a pioneer in the development of education and training for clinical pharmacists. As a Chief Pharmacist I was able to ensure pharmacists were always part of patient-facing services and supported the development of the non-medical prescribing agenda.
For my work in mental health pharmacy I received the Chairman’s award in 2000 and later was designated a Fellow of the College of Mental Health Pharmacy.
In 2014 I was awarded Fellow of the Faculty of the RPS (FFRPS).
In 2016 I was pleased to receive the award of Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of which I am most proud and will continue to support the development of pharmacy services in all areas in the future. In particular I am keen to support the development of the faculty and would like to support links with specialist pharmacy services to minimise duplication of the workload.
Although retired I am starting my second term as a member of the Panel of Fellows for the RPS.
Diane Leakey
I have been a registered pharmacist for over 40 years, working in hospital, community and regulatory, including heading up the Communications division at the MHRA.
Retired since 2017 I now regularly volunteer at West Horsley Place which is home to the Ghosts TV series, my local 18th century landscape garden, and the archives at the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
During the COVID pandemic I was one of the volunteer vaccinators, and still carry on doing this, at my local community pharmacy.
Alan Russell
My Batchelor of Pharmacy degree was awarded in 1979 form the School of Pharmacy University of London. I was registered as a pharmacist in 1980 and have been a member of the Society ever since.
My career was split between the NHS as a hospital pharmacist and the Department of Health and Social Care as pharmaceutical adviser. I started as a basic grade pharmacist at St Alban’s City Hospital and then had several posts in hospitals in the London area including St George’s Hospital, Brook General Hospital and Whipps Cross Hospital.
In 1990 I was appointed as Regional Technical and Procurement Pharmacist for South West Thames Regional Heath Authority. In 1994 when the Regional Heath Authorities were disbanded, I was transferred initially to NHS Supplies Authority.
In 1999 my role was transferred to the Department of Health and Social Care where I was a Pharmaceutical Adviser on Procurement and Supply specialising in vaccines, pandemic and emergency planning. I was also the Responsible Person on the Department’s Wholesaler Dealers Licence and the main support for the Marketing Authorisations held by the Department. I was also one of the main contacts for any medicine importation undertaken by the Department.
I took partial retirement in October 2019 and during the period July 2020 to March 2021 I provided advice to the Covid Vaccine Task Force. I finally fully retired in March 2021.
I was Chairman of the Bromley Branch in 1984 after serving as Secretary and Regional Chairman in 1992.