PHARMACISTS IN PRIMARY CARE

Taj Virdee - Senior Clinical Pharmacist

The Senior Clinical Pharmacist will work within their clinical competencies as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide expertise in clinical medicines management, provide face to face structured medication reviews, manage long term conditions, management of medicines on transfer of care and systems for safer prescribing, manage repeat prescription authorisations and reauthorisation, acute prescription request, while addressing both the public health and social care needs of patients in the GP practice(s) that make up the PCN.

Tolu Ajileye - Clinical Pharmacist

Clinical Pharmacists will carry out structured medication reviews for patients with ongoing health problems and improving patient safety, outcomes and value through a person-centred approach.

Clinical pharmacists work as part of the general practice team to improve value and outcomes from medicines and consult with and treat patients directly. They are highly qualified experts in medicines and can help people in a range of ways. This includes providing extra help to manage long-term conditions, advice for those on multiple medicines and better access to health checks. The role is pivotal to improving the quality of care and ensuring patient safety.

Having clinical pharmacists in GP practices means that GPs can focus their skills where they are most needed, for example on diagnosing and treating patients with more complex conditions. This helps GPs to manage the demands on their time.

Walton Boansi - Senior Pharmacy Technician

Laura Ackerman - Pharmacy Technician

Hermione Christie - Pre-Registered Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy technicians play an important role within general practice and complement the more clinical work of clinical pharmacist, through utilisation of their technical skillset. Their deployment within primary care settings allows the application of their acquired pharmaceutical knowledge in tasks such as audits, discharge management, prescription issuing, and where appropriate, informing patients and other members of Primary Care Network (PCN) workforce. Work is often under the direction of clinical pharmacists, and this benefit is realised through the creation of a PCN pharmacy team.

Activities undertaken

• Undertake patient-facing and patient supporting roles to ensure effective medicines use, through shared decision-making conversations with patients.
• Carry out medicines optimisation tasks including effective medicine administration, supporting medication reviews, and medicines reconciliation.
• Where required, utilise consultation skills to work in partnership with patients to ensure they use their medicines effectively.
• Provide specialist expertise, where competent, to address both the public health and social care needs of patients including lifestyle advice, service information, and help in tackling local health inequalities.
• Take a central role in the clinical aspects of shared care protocols and liaising with specialist pharmacists for more complex patients.
• Support initiatives for antimicrobial stewardship to reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing.
• Work with the PCN multi-disciplinary team to ensure efficient medicines optimisation, including implementing efficient ordering and return processes and reducing wastage.