With the focus shifting back towards the normality of day to day working, primary care now has scope to reconsider the opportunities presented by the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme in building workforce capacity and to establish further transformative working practices. This week’s spotlight is on the role of the pharmacist and we are fortunate to be joined by the experienced and progressive Steve Williams, who is a Clinical Pharmacist and network lead in his area of expertise based at Westbourne Medical Centre in Dorset. Here, Steve explains how his role fits both at practice and at network level - and gives his advice on making the best use of pharmacy professionals, and the additional roles more broadly, in general practice.

 

Introductions (36 secs)

 

Steve’s journey to becoming a PCN pharmacist (1 min 3 secs)

 

Why a move into general practice? (2 mins 33 secs)

 

Steve describes the transition from secondary to primary care (3 mins 15 secs)

 

The key differences (3 mins 44 secs)

 

What was the practice’s initial reaction to taking on a pharmacist? (4 mins 53 secs)

 

Embedding new roles; advice on induction and adapting your structures (6 mins 23 secs)

 

Maximising the impact from a network perspective (7 mins 18 secs)

 

An opportunity for innovation (9 mins 59 secs)

 

The role of a pharmacy technician and the skills they can offer (10 mins 50 secs)

 

Future plans and further expansion (12 mins 17 secs)

 

The influence of the DES on utilising new roles (13 mins 50 secs)

 

How will the role of the pharmacist develop further? (15 mins 28 secs)

 

Getting in touch (16 mins 42 secs)

 

Steve is contactable via email, Twitter and through Westbourne Medical Centre:

[email protected]

@stevechemist

https://www.westbournemedical.com/

@BayPcn

 

The links for the supporting documents Steve references:

Link re "Practice to PCN role – A Pharmacist’s journey" presentation for Dorset CCG PCN Development Event on Understanding and establishing Clinical Pharmacy in PCNs 15th January 2020  

https://youtu.be/5O5WFcdZFDM 

 

Structured medication reviews research at WMC

Steve Williams, Lawrence D Brad. Impact of practice based clinical pharmacist led medication reviews on ambulatory patients with hyper polypharmacy. Br J Gen Pract 2018; 68 (suppl 1) https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp18X697097

 

Viewpoints on pharmacists in primary care published with GP Prescribing lead Dr Lawrence Brad 

Williams SD, Hayes JM, Brad LD.  Clinical pharmacists in general practice: a necessity not a luxury? British Journal of General Practice. Br J Gen Pract 2018; 68 (667): 85. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp18X694697

https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2018/06/26/time-pharmacist-support-general-practice-improve-medicines-optimisation/

https://bjgplife.com/2020/06/17/clinical-pharmacists-within-primary-care-networks-another-driver-for-collaborative-general-practice/

 

Useful documents / websites re pharmacy professionals working in primary care RPS Wales Multidisciplinary Teams (MDT) in General Practice

https://www.rpharms.com/Portals/0/RPS%20document%20library/Open%20access/Wales/00215%202001-Welsh-MDT-English-AWD.pdf?ver=2020-02-07-140429-840

 

PRESQIPP

NHS funded not-for-profit organisation that supports quality, optimized prescribing for patients Virtual Professional Network for pharmacy starting April 2020 (membership required) 

https://www.prescqipp.info/news/prescqipp-practice-plus/

 

Primary Care Pharmacy Association (PCPA)

https://www.pcpa.org.uk/ (membership required)

https://pcpa.org.uk/assets/documents/Guide-for-GPs-considering-employing-pharmacist.pdf