ROUTINE


IN SEPTEMBER, THE FIRST TRANCHE OF PRACTICE-BASED PHARMACISTS (PBPS) WILL TAKE UP THEIR POSTS IN GP SURGERIES AS PART OF THE GP FEDERATION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME. PIF SPEAKS TO TWO PBPS - ONE AN INDEPENDENT PRESCRIBER WHO HAS WORKED IN PRIMARY CARE FOR NEARLY TEN YEARS AND ONE WHO WORKS AS BOTH A PBP AND A COMMUNITY PHARMACIST, TO ASCERTAIN THEIR VIEWS ON THE BENEFITS THAT THESE NEW ROLES WILL BRING TO PRIMARY CARE....


PHARMACY IN PRACTICE


BASED IN RIVERSIDE PRACTICE IN PORTADOWN, HELENA BUCHANAN'S CAREER IN PHARMACY HAS BEEN NOTHING IF NOT WIDE-RANGING AND VARIED. IN ALMOST 20 YEARS IN THE PROFESSION, HELENA HAS WORKED FOR GORDONS CHEMIST AS A PHARMACY MANAGER, IN THEIR HEAD OFFICE AS HEAD OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICE, AND HAS SAT ON THE COUNCIL OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY OF NORTHERN IRELAND


Helena, who became a PBP in January of this year, views this role as another phase in her career, but one in which she can use the experience gained from various sectors of pharmacy to the benefi t of her primary care colleagues and patients.


9am - My day generally begins with a brief meeting with the Practice Manager to discuss any issues/queries which have arisen since I was last in the practice. This is particularly important as I only work two sessions a week in this role as I also work part


28 - PHARMACY IN FOCUS


time as a relief pharmacy manager. The PBP is part of one big team - a team, which includes GPs, practice nurses administration staff and community pharmacists, and I fi rmly believe that the PBP can help bridge the gap between the GP surgery and the community pharmacist.


9.15am/9.30am - I will check emails - both internal and external - to deal with any potential queries that have come in. These can be very varied. In one morning, for example, I can be dealing with everything from a prescribing query regarding the latest prescribing guidance for infant feeding to a query from a GP regarding a nursing home patient, who can no longer take solid dosage forms. With regard to a query like that, I not only have to deal with the medication issue, but also the cost implications


10.30am - This is when I will usually start to look at my continuing work into the quality, safety and cost-effectiveness of our practice


protocols and prescribing and make the necessary recommendations to the GPs. The practice annually meets with the Prescribing Advisers from the board and the work plan, which stems from this meeting, will also inform a portion of my ongoing work. This usually involves an element of generic switches to ensure prescribing is effi cient as possible and to review prescribing protocols for certain therapeutic areas and then make recommendations to the GPs for any changes which must be made to patients’ medication


One of the things that I think is essential about this role is that you need to have a good relationship with the local community pharmacists and to be aware of the potential impact of the work you undertake in the surgeries, whether it be generic switches or system changes for the pharmacies in the area. This ensures that the community pharmacist has plenty of warning - and time – to reduce their current stock holding and order in the necessary stock.


For that reason, I think I'm particularly fortunate in that, working as community pharmacist, I am aware of issues on the ground. Although I have only been working in Portadown for a short time, I hope that I have begun to build relations with the local pharmacies in the area.


2pm - After lunch, I often look at governance issues. Quite a bit of my time is taken up with carrying out clinical and system audits to obtain a base line for practice protocol development and to demonstrate continued good practice. I work closely with both the prescribing and governance lead GPs to ensure systems are in place, which ensure high standards of clinical governance.


At the moment, for example, I'm reviewing all patients prescribed biphosphates to ensure that the prescribing within the practice is taking into account the latest guidance regarding length of treatment and risk benefi t of the medication.


In this role I'm not patient facing as I'm not a prescriber, but I plan to gain my prescribing qualifi cation in the very near future, therefore enabling me to expand my role within the practice.


My work at the moment is very much liaison with GPs, nurses and administrative staff, and I can really see how, even over the eight months that I've been in post, the impact that having a practice pharmacist on staff has had within the practice. The GPs here, as in other practices, are really embracing the presence of PBPs.


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