About us

The history of Pharmacy at Keele University is a rich and evolving narrative of innovation, collaboration, and resilience. What began as a modest postgraduate initiative has grown into a nationally respected portfolio.

Early Foundations and Postgraduate Roots

The journey began in the early 1990s when Ray Fitzpatrick, newly appointed Director of Pharmacy at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire (UHNS), also became a senior lecturer at Keele. With no Pharmacy department in place, he joined the Department of Postgraduate Medicine. The turning point came when Rhona Panton, the regional pharmaceutical officer, relocated her office to Keele and established the Department of Pharmacy Policy and Practice, bringing with her a team that included Steve Chapman.

Pat Black led the development of postgraduate diplomas in clinical pharmacy and community pharmacy, with Ray and Dr. John Mucklow delivering much of the content. These early courses were delivered through correspondence—large green/blue lever arch folders mailed to students, with study days held on Sundays to accommodate working community pharmacists.

Enterprise, Research, and National Impact

Steve Chapman was brought in to develop a research and enterprise agenda. His work analyzing prescribing data led to the creation of PACT data, a national tool still used in general practice. The department’s enterprise income—peaking at £800k annually—enabled rapid growth, moving from Keele Hall’s basement to the Science Park, and eventually to the affectionally termed “toilet in the woods” (now the William Eames Building).

The department was renamed Medicines Management, reflecting its interdisciplinary nature. It became a hub of innovation, establishing MTRAC, a regional drug and therapeutic committee chaired by GPs—an unusual model that inspired the formation of NICE. The team expanded to include pharmacists, economists, GPs, public health experts, statisticians, and data analysts.

They pioneered online learning for healthcare professionals and explored the use of avatars in clinical training, supported by a unique team of animators and programmers. This work, led by Luke Bracegirdle, Tom Pardoe, Jess Thompson, and Simon Jacklin, was funded by external grants and even supported by NICE.

The Undergraduate Leap

The idea of an undergraduate Pharmacy degree was first seriously discussed in meetings involving Tony Curtis, David Vincent, Steve Chapman, and Elly Reeve. Tony recalls delivering the Stage 2 bid in copier paper boxes, to the Head of Medicine, to the Sneyd Arms, and navigating the challenges of accreditation and regulatory scrutiny.

Steve Chapman became the founding Head of School, starting with just five staff and 40 students. The course was designed to be “bespoke,” aiming for 85 students to remain financially viable while offering a high-quality, student-focused experience. Despite pressures to expand, the School maintained top rankings in student satisfaction throughout Steve’s nine-year tenure and into that of his successor, Nigel Ratcliffe.

Claire Stevens joined in 2001, witnessing the early development of the undergraduate program. She recalls the small, determined team—Mark Brennan, Katie Maddock, and Dr. Tan—working from a single office. The first open day was a grassroots effort, and the inaugural cohort of students, though occasionally frustrated by their “guinea pig” status, were instrumental in shaping the program.

Postgraduate Innovation and Lifelong Learning

Carole Blackshaw headed up the Diploma in the early days (she was in charge when Katie Maddock did it in 1993-94 and when Daxa Knowles did it in 1995-97!) – she led a lot of the developments into fully distance learning.

Wendy Clark joined in 1995 to support MTRAC, having already collaborated with the Keele team since 1993. She worked with Ray and Pat to develop clinical pharmacy modules for the community diploma, which evolved from correspondence to fully online delivery by 2005—making Keele the first UK university to offer an online clinical pharmacy diploma.

Daxa Knowles joined in 1998 to initially support MTRAC and the postgraduate education provision. In 2001, she took over Carole’s role and headed up the Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy.

Under Pat Black’s leadership, Keele’s postgraduate provision expanded dramatically. The team offered a wide array of flexible, modular programs—covering community and clinical pharmacy, prescribing studies, and eventually the DPharm. Pat introduced the CPD Plus route, supported by Daxa and Wendy, allowing students to tailor their learning to their professional needs—a model now envied by other universities.

Keele secured long-term contracts with HEWM, Boots, Lloyds, Well, and NHSE, and received £1.5M through the pharmacy workforce initiative. Under Nigel Ratcliffe, the postgraduate arm became the Centre for Professional Development and Lifelong Learning (CPD4ALL), enhancing its external visibility.

Legacy and Looking Forward

By the time Ray returned in 2015, the School had become a thriving institution. Over £32 million in external funding had been secured, and Keele’s reputation in Pharmacy education and research was firmly established. Many of the first graduates went on to senior roles in industry and academia—Bernard Naughton, for example, became an Assistant Professor at Trinity College Dublin. Andrew Bailey (first cohort) and Christopher Turner (second cohort) founded Dimec, a digital platform focused on online pharmacy services, particularly managing repeat prescriptions. It was acquired by the Co-op in 2018 and is now known as Hey Pharmacist. The platform aimed to connect patients directly with their GPs and pharmacists for streamlined prescription ordering and management.

The School’s journey—from a postgraduate diploma in a basement to a nationally recognized institution—reflects real vision, resilience, and innovation of its founders. As Heidi steps into her role as the fourth Head of School, she inherits a legacy built on collaboration, creativity, and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

Visual Timeline of Key Milestones

1991: Ray Fitzpatrick appointed at UHNS and Keele.

1992: Initial discussions on undergraduate Pharmacy program.

1993: Tony joins Keele; early program development.

1995: Wendy Clark joins to support MTRAC.

Late 1990s: PACT data and enterprise work begins.

1998: Daxa Knowles joins to support MTRAC and Pg education

2001: Claire joins; undergraduate program development.

2003: Launch of the Supplementary Prescribing (SP) course – a Keele qualified SP pharmacist was the first pharmacist to write a prescription

2005: Online delivery of postgraduate programs begins.

2006: First undergraduate cohort graduates.

2007: CPD Plus route introduced.

2012: CPD4ALL established under Nigel Ratcliffe.

2015: Ray returns; School thriving.

2018: Katie Maddock becomes Head of School

2024: Heidi Fuller becomes Head of School

2025: Keele School of Pharmacy celebrates over 30 years of innovation.

Physiotherapy started at RJAH (Oswestry) in at least 1939, although this document from RJAH suggests it was first established at RJAH alongside Orthopaedic Nursing, with the first Principal of the School of Physiotherapy appointed in 1920.

Further, a book written by Marian Tidswell, the Principal of the School when it first came to Keele, states " One of the oldest schools of physiotherapy in the United Kingdom that now operates from a university base (at Keele University) is the one founded at Baschurch in Shropshire in 1909 by Dame Agnes Hunt." The book charts in detail the history of the School from its origin to the time of its transfer to Keele.

Tidswell, M (2009) Adversity the Spur: the History of Physiotherapy Education at Oswestry. Athena Press, London.

So, it could be 110 years, or 99, or 80, depending on which source you choose to base it on! 

Between 1989 and 1994, the School of Physiotherapy as it transitioned from Oswestry to Keele, was the first in the country to hire sport and exercise scientists to augment the teaching of exercise physiology in both disease prevention and rehabilitation. By 1996, it had established sport and exercise scientists as officially CSP sanctioned clinical placement tutors working in both community and hospital settings. This led Keele to become one of the 1^st regional education centres for the external training of fitness instructors to become qualified to take cardiac patients on discharge from cardiac rehabilitation and the 1^st home of the interprofessional forum of a national exercise professionals group on cardiac rehabilitation (now known as the BACPR EPG – respected as the leader of such forums for all the other LTC populations now offering fitness instructor training); it is an envied collaboration of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Cardiac Rehab, The British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences and the BACR Exercise Instructor Network. The School of Physiotherapy and its subsequent guises of SHAR, SAHP and now SAHP&P, has always maintained the tradition of having sport and exercise scientists teaching and researching alongside AHPs, which has underpinned the growing success of the RES programme and the development of SES.

The educational programmes offered by the School from the time of its transfer to Keele are:

• The BSc Physiotherapy Programme at Keele started in 1994 (transferring from RJAH). 
• The MSc Neuromusculoskeletal Health Care started in 1999 and was followed by an interdisciplinary MSc Pain Science and Management.
• The BSc Osteopathy started in 2005 (later transferred to Staffordshire University).
• Further postgraduate modules were developed and introduced in 2007/8 including Advanced Manual Therapy, Introducing Acupuncture, Neurological Rehabilitation and Stability and Rehabilitation of Movement Dysfunction.
• The BSc Rehabilitation and Exercise Science started at Keele in 2014 
• The BSc Radiography (Diagnostic Imaging) started in 2017 
• The MSci Physiotherapy (4-year UG) started in 2019 
• The MSc Physiotherapy (2-year PG) started in 2019 
• The MSc Prosthetics and Orthotics started in January 2022 
• The BSc Radiography Apprenticeship started in January 2023 
• The FD Radiography Assistant Practitioner started in September 2023  
• The MSc Occupational Therapy started in January 2024 
• The MSci Speech and Language Therapy started in September 2024 
• The BSc Sports and Exercise Science starts in September 2025 
• The BSc Occupational Therapy starts in September 2025 
• The BSc Occupational Therapy Apprenticeship starts in September 2025 
• The MSci Speech and Language Therapy apprenticeship starts in September 2025  

Key dates in the history of the School of Allied Health Professions (SAHP)  

• 1910 – Registered Training School for Massage and Swedish Remedial Exercise at Baschurch Home for Children  
• 1920 – Miss Evelyn Pearce appointed 1920–1922 (First Sister Tutor, but not designated Principal)  
• 1921 – Moved to Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt (RJAH) Hospital – school became a blend of Orthopaedic Nursing and Physiotherapy  
• 1923 – Miss Mabel Dalton appointed Head of School 1923–1945   
• 1945 – Miss Dorothy Talbot appointed Head of School  
• 1952 – The School of Physiotherapy was housed above the new Physiotherapy Department at the RJAH  
• 1967 – Miss Greta Anderson appointed Head of School. The school was renamed the ‘Oswestry and North Staffordshire School of Physiotherapy’ ONSSP  
• 1974 – Miss Wyn Cannell appointed Head of School and first intake of Physiotherapy Students – Graduate Diploma  
• 1980 – Reorganization of Physiotherapy Education nationally – Introduction of Degree Level Courses   
• 1981 – Mrs Marian Tidswell appointed Head of School  
• 1987 – The School survived a threat to its existence thorough a proposed rationalization of physiotherapy education in the West Midlands by the Physiotherapy Evaluation Group of the then Regional Training Council.
• 1992–3 – Physiotherapy BSc Degree Course developed in collaboration with Keele University, implemented at RJAH in 1993  
• 1994 – School moved to Keele University, under Marian Tidswell as Head of Department.   
• 1995 – Approval and implementation of a new, innovative Physiotherapy BSc programme, led by Marilyn Andrews.  
• 1996 – Marilyn Andrews became Head of Department of Physiotherapy Studies   
• Introduction of Postgraduate Courses with ongoing development and expansion of School’s postgraduate portfolio for physiotherapy.  
• Krysia Dziedzic appointed by NHS Regional Health Authority as senior lecturer to lead clinical trials in physiotherapy in the West Midlands.  
• 1997 – Appointment of 1^st Professor, Julius Sim, to drive forward physiotherapy research and develop the staff and School Research Profile.  
• Formation of the Primary Care Sciences Research Centre in conjunction with the School of Medicine and the Department of Medicines Management (Julius Sim, Krysia Dziedzic, Peter Croft, Elaine Hay, Rhian Hughes, David Millson), later to become the Institute of Primary Care and Health Sciences.
• 1998 – Further expansion of postgraduate programmes, led by Ms (then Dr) Jackie Waterfield.  
• 1999 – Implementation of the CSP Approved Practice Educators' Programme.  
• 2002 – Prof Julius Sim became Head of Department.  
• Appointed to 2001 RAE sub-panel for Allied Health Professions.  
• 2005 – Marilyn Andrews resumes role as Head of Department.   
• 2005 – BSc Osteopathy programme started – in collaboration with the College of Osteopaths and its Principal, Mark Lawrence.  
• 2006 – Prof Julius Sim appointed as chair of 2008 RAE sub-panel for Allied Health Professions.  
• 2007 – Prof Marilyn Andrews awarded Fellowship of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy  
• 2009 – Dr Cath Bucher appointed as Head of School.  
• 2014 – Dr Jackie Waterfield awarded National Teaching Fellowship by the Higher Education Academy  
• 2016 – Prof Anand Pandyan appointed as Head of School   
• 2019 – Mrs (then Dr) Anne O’Brien appointed as Head of School 
• 2024 – Prof Heidi Fuller appointed as Head of School – new combined School of Allied Health Professions and Pharmacy