Journal of Medicines Optimisation - Mar 2022

Journal of Medicines Optimisation • Volume 8 • Issue 1 • March 2022 34 Leading the ‘Medicines Optimisation in Secure Environments’ Project in the South East Region - Developing Leadership & Project Management Skills with CLIP® Kim Tie, Clinical Effectiveness Pharmacist, NHS South Centre West. Correspondence to: [email protected] Introduction As part of my role as the Clinical Effectiveness Pharmacist within the Medicines Optimisation Team at NHS South Centre West (SCW), I identified the needs to further develop my leadership skills, to advance my ability in collaborative working, and to improve my confidence in managing the fast- changing NHS and the challenges faced within the pharmacy profession and the wider health and social care landscape. I have since had the opportunity to embark on a leadership development journey with the Clinical Leadership in Pharmacy (CLIP®) Programme. One of the key benefits of the CLIP® programme is that I can apply the new skills and knowledge to my daily leadership challenges and project management. This report outlines some of the CLIP® models and tools that I have learned and applied to a work-based project that I am currently leading on – ‘Medicines Optimisation in Secure Environments’ Project in the South East Region. This report includes: • Project background – why we do what we do • Collaborative working – How I navigate the ups and downs of collaborative working • Project management – What I have done, within my capacity as the Project Lead, in driving the team and project forward • Mentoring and coaching – How I have mentored and coached a junior member of staff Project Background It is important that patients in the secure environments, including prisons, Young Offender Institutions, Secure Training Centres and Immigration Removal Centres have access to the same excellent, safe and effective health and clinical services that is equivalent to that of the community. There are unique challenges in various aspects of the provision of clinical services and medicines for patients in these secure environments, for example, trading and diversion of prescribed medications, access of prohibited substances whilst in custody, operational impact of supervised administration of high-risk medicines, medicines reconciliation, and medicines continuity to name a few. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has published a set of guidance tha t outlines the professional standards for optimising medicines for people in secure environments. Health and Justice (H&J) South East England commissioned NHS SCW to provide a medicines optimisation service that will assure the commissioners that the use of medicines within the 23 H&J sites across the South East of England is effectively managed and that patients receive medicines in a safe and appropriate manner. The project is delivered in collaboration with another external NHS organisation over three phases. The overarching objective of the project is to develop a detailed summary of the current provision of clinical pharmacy and supply of medicines services across the region, with the aims to reduce unwarranted variation, to identify and implement solutions and to improve consistency across all sites. For the purpose of the CLIP® project plan, I will focus on Phase 1 of the project cycle, which should take