On 7 February 2010, Barbara Ann Healey, MRPharmS, aged 54, of 5 Fern Bank, Scotforth, Lancaster LA1 4TT.
Mrs Healey registered in 1979.
Tributes
ROB YATES, chief pharmacist, and SHELAGH SPICKETT, chief operations manager, at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Foundation Trust write:
Barbara’s career was full and wide-ranging. Throughout it she demonstrated tireless enthusiasm not only for pharmacy but for all of the NHS.
Barbara started working for the trust in September 1981 as a rotational pharmacist at Sharoe Green Hospital. She transferred to Royal Preston Hospital in 1982 as a staff pharmacist in a six-month secondment post working in drug information, after which she became staff pharmacist for
mental health, initially at Whittingham Hospital and then at RPH.
Barbara took up the post of specialist cardiac pharmacist on her return from maternity leave after the birth of her son Christopher in 1987 and during the following 10 years established herself as a senior pharmacist in medicine.
She worked closely with the directorates developing pharmacy services, particularly in her role of renal pharmacist. During this time she introduced pharmaceutical care plans and designed the role of renal ward pharmacy technician, a successful model that forms the basis of our medicines management technician post today.
Pushing the boundaries even further in 1999 Barbara took up the post of primary care interface pharmacist, a combined post with Preston Primary Care Group and Preston Acute Hospitals Trust. Working with a network of professional colleagues in primary care, Barbara’s work helped bridge the gap between primary and secondary care and contributed greatly to achieving patient seamless care. Once again she looked at opportunities for developing the pharmacy technician role and we were successful in setting up a rotational post.
Throughout her career Barbara took time to mentor and nurture students and junior staff and quickly became recognised as “mother” to the many trainees that passed through the trust. Her tireless efforts at encouraging, supporting and even providing tea and sympathy will be fondly remembered and appreciated by those who came into contact with her.
Barbara was unstinting with her knowledge and time both in and outside of work. Many of our current team have had the benefit of the Healey hospitality in their student days — not to mention the annual French students who always brought her their problems.
Because of ill health, Barbara took early retirement in 2007 but even with all the trials that she endured she could not give up her dedication to pharmacy. For the past two years she and her husband Rob worked on patient group directions for the trust and Barbara had restarted work on these just a few weeks ago after the untimely death of her husband before Christmas.
Barbara is survived by her son Christopher and leaves many friends and colleagues who had the privilege to know her, both inside and outside pharmacy.
