Option 3 - Primary Care Cluster Pharmacist roles: Optimising medicines in acute hospital wards in NI – implications for practice?

Theme 1 asks What Is The Role For Pharmacists?

In this pair of talks Lloyd Hambridge discusses the role of the pharmacist in a primary care cluster, while Anne Friel considers how clinical pharmacy can be integrated across sectors.

Lloyd Hambridge is a Cluster Pharmacist within the Caerphilly East Cluster of Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and has worked within this capacity since the introduction of the role in 2015. He is an Independent Pharmacist Prescriber and has completed a Master’s degree project evaluating the new roles of pharmacists working within primary care clusters across Wales. In addition to this role, Lloyd works directly as an Advanced Practice Pharmacist for Blackwood Medical Group and within NHS 111 Wales as a Pharmacist Advisor.

‘Primary Care Cluster Pharmacist roles’

In Wales, primary care services have been split into ‘clusters’ incorporating healthcare organisations including general practices, social services and third sectors collaboratively working together to provide care for their local communities. Clusters across Wales have appointed pharmacists and their integration into primary care clusters has the potential to provide a solution to recruitment pressures and improve the safe, effective and prudent use of medicines in Wales. This presentation will outline the range of roles currently undertaken by cluster pharmacists in Wales as well as cluster lead general practitioner (GP) opinions on the impact of these roles.

Anne Friel, Head of Pharmacy & Medicines Management, Western Health and Social Care Trust, Northern Ireland

Over the last 20 years Anne Friel has helped develop hospital pharmacy services in NI, ensuring that high-quality pharmacy services are central to the provision of safe patient care. She has led on implementing innovative ways of working, most recently in the pharmaceutical care of older people and clinical pharmacy outreach services, and was part of the teams that won the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Pharmaceutical Care Award in 2014 and the Health Services Journal Medicines Management Award in 2016. Anne has worked in a range of clinical, education and management roles in Birmingham, Leeds, Craigavon and Derry. She was made a Fellow of the Pharmaceutical Society of NI and was awarded the Guild of Healthcare Pharmacists Silver Medal and Western Trust Leadership and Chairman’s Awards in 2014. 

‘Optimising medicines in acute hospital wards in NI – implications for practice?'

Synopsis to follow