John Swinney and Maree Todd Visit Alness Pharmacy
Published: 10th April 2026
Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) was pleased to support a ministerial visit to Alness Pharmacy. The visit was attended by the Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy, Maree Todd MSP, and the First Minister John Swinney. Joining them was CPS’s Director of Operations Michael Oswald and CPS and Royal Pharmaceutical Society Board member Catriona Sinclair attended to support the meeting. The visit was hosted by the team at Alness Pharmacy.
What was discussed?
There were productive talks throughout the day. These discussions focused on the continued development of community pharmacy and the important role it can play in delivering accessible, close to home, high-quality clinical care within a primary care settings. A key theme was the shared ambition to have an Independent Prescriber (IP) in every community pharmacy, and about the resources and steps required to achieve this. These include appropriate funding, and the digital infrastructure needed to support these expanded services.
The visit also explored opportunities for community pharmacy to further expand patient care through: targeted diabetes screening to support earlier detection and intervention, weight management services to improve long-term patient outcomes, and standardisation of harm reduction services across Scotland.
These priorities align closely with CPS’s Manifesto and reflect our aligned ambitions to improve prevention, early detection and treatment within our local communities.
Investing in the future
Infrastructure and investment were highlighted as essential for future developments. Ensuring pharmacies have the facilities, digital infrastructure and capacity required will be crucial to delivering and sustaining these ambitions.
Access to healthcare close to home
A consistent theme throughout the visit was the importance of improving access to healthcare closer to home. Community pharmacy is uniquely positioned to deliver this, offering convenient, clinical care within local communities. Community pharmacy continues to be the heart of the community.
CPS would like to thank John, Gary and their amazing team at Alness Pharmacy for hosting the visit - and for their valuable insight into the positive impact community pharmacy is already delivering for patients.
If you have any questions about today’s visit, please get in touch with us at enquiries@cps.scot. To read our manifesto, please click the link below:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
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Attendees included Maree Todd, John Swinney, CPS Director of Operations Michael Oswald, and RPS Board member Catriona Sinclair.
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The visit brought together government leaders and pharmacy representatives to discuss how community pharmacy can play a greater role in primary care and improve access to services.
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To deliver expanded clinical services, pharmacies need appropriate consultation spaces, digital systems, and workforce capacity. Investment ensures these foundations are in place.
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Innovation enables pharmacies to pilot new services, use digital tools more effectively, and build evidence to support wider rollout of successful approaches.
Today, I represented Community Pharmacy Scotland on BBC Scotland television and BBC Radio Scotland, discussing the availability of private flu vaccinations in community pharmacy and how people can prepare for winter