As a teenager, Philip Kielthy imagined a future in engineering. “Engineering and making stuff were my passions when I was about 15 or 16,” he recalls. Yet, as he explored the field, he realised something was missing.
While engineering satisfied his appetite for science and problem-solving, it lacked the human connection he valued. Growing up, Kielthy thrived on social interaction and conversation. When someone suggested pharmacy as a career that blended rigorous science with patient care, the idea resonated. That advice set him on a professional path that would span decades.
A 20-year journey with Boots
Raised in Northumberland, Kielthy studied pharmacy at the University of Nottingham in 2000. Upon graduating, he joined Boots, beginning a tenure that would last more than 20 years.
He started in retail pharmacy, rising through the traditional ranks: store manager, area pharmacy manager, and eventually area manager. His career later pivoted toward the head office, where he took on broader operational and strategic mandates. A significant milestone arrived in 2015 when he joined Boots International.
“That was a big change for me,” he says. This international remit took him to Chile, Mexico, and Norway to oversee retail and pharmacy operations. The experience proved transformative, exposing him to diverse healthcare systems and business philosophies.
“It opened my eyes—not just to a bigger world, but to different cultures and ways of working,” he explains. He describes the Mexican market as highly entrepreneurial, where innovation moves at pace. In contrast, he views the UK market as more cautious and heavily regulated, with fewer disruptive shifts.
Returning to the UK during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kielthy managed complex administrative tasks, including salary modelling across the store estate. During this period, he also enrolled in an MBA programme. “That was another eye-opener. Meeting new people and seeing what else was out there made me realise that, having only ever worked for one company, there were many more opportunities available.”
A new chapter at TrustMed
In 2024, Kielthy joined Trust Group Holdings, a subsidiary of University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, as Managing Director of TrustMed Pharmacy. The organisation operates the hospital’s outpatient pharmacy services.
He views the transition from a major retail chain to a hospital-based setting as a natural progression rather than a calculated leap. While TrustMed’s operational flow - clinical checking, dispensing, and accuracy-checking prescriptions - mirrors community pharmacy, the context is markedly different.
“Patients come to us at the end of their hospital journey,” he explains. “Our challenge is ensuring that the final experience is a positive one.” Many patients arriving at TrustMed have just received serious diagnoses or endured exhausting waits. Consequently, Kielthy expects his pharmacists to demonstrate high levels of emotional intelligence. “In a hospital, the gravity of a diagnosis is often greater than at a GP surgery. That changes the dynamic entirely.”
Under his leadership, the team has prioritised the patient experience, specifically targeting waiting times. Following 18 months of focused effort, more than 90 per cent of patients now receive their prescriptions within 20 minutes. It is a turnaround, Kielthy believes, that is exceptionally fast for a hospital outpatient setting.
“I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved,” he says. “This role allows me to focus on the improvements I want to make and gives me the autonomy to execute them.” Unlike the rigid hierarchies of his previous corporate life, TrustMed offers the flexibility to make a direct impact. “Reflecting on it now, I wish I’d moved 10 years earlier. The last two years have been fantastic.”
Leadership and clinical expertise
Kielthy acknowledges that hospital pharmacists must collaborate far more closely with consultants, doctors, and nurses than their counterparts in community pharmacy. This environment demands acute clinical expertise.
Having spent 15 years in senior leadership focused on strategy, he is candid about his own frontline clinical skills. “I haven’t practised on the frontline since 2012. I could still clinically check prescriptions in a community setting, but I am not as sharp as the specialists in my team.” Notably, TrustMed does not operate under an FP10 community pharmacy contract, meaning it does not provide the standard suite of community pharmacy services.
Driving cultural transformation
Kielthy believes his most vital contribution to TrustMed has been a shift in workplace culture. “I have a firm belief that you should treat people as people. They are not robots,” he asserts.
He champions fairness, transparency, and two-way communication. Policies regarding bereavement, sickness, and annual leave are now applied with consistency and compassion. Recognising Leicester’s diversity, Kielthy ensures that the workforce, which includes Hindu, Muslim, Christian, and Sikh staff, has its religious observances and festivals integrated into workforce planning.
He also prioritises financial and operational openness.
“I talk to them about the financials, the activity, and the metrics. If it isn't confidential, I don’t hide it. I want the team to understand the business.” He credits this transparency, alongside fairer sickness policies aligned with NHS principles, for maintaining impressively low staff turnover.
Embracing diversity
Kielthy’s perspective on diversity has evolved significantly from his upbringing in Northumberland. He attended a primary school of just 70 pupils, all of whom were white, and a secondary school of 1,500 where only three students were from non-British families.
University was his turning point. “You meet a vast array of people; the diversity is much greater.” Today, his stance on inclusive leadership is resolute. “I don’t care what religion people practise or what their sexuality is. Everyone has the right to live how they choose.”
He speaks warmly of his best friend, a Muslim who served as best man at his wedding, and recalls attending his friend’s wedding in traditional attire as a profound cultural experience.
In leadership, his focus remains on respect and results. “I don’t care where you come from or what you practise in your personal life. If you want to share that with me, great; if not, that’s fine. What matters is getting the job done and treating people fairly.”
