11th March 2019

Clinical Pharmacists are new staff who have a focus on patient medication and prescribing to help improve quality of care for people in Lincolnshire.

Clinical Pharmacists are a valuable asset to the primary care system in the county, working in General Practice, Care Homes and Urgent Care Centres.

The NHS in Lincolnshire is intending to bring in at least 28 Clinical Pharmacists across the county by 2021 to help improve patient care

There are currently eight employed in primary care in Lincolnshire with more posts currently being advertised.

The new staff will carry out a number of tasks, including refining prescribing policy, conducting patient medicine reviews and assisting GPs in extended access provision and out of hours surgeries.

As independent prescribers, Clinical Pharmacists can also support some patients with long term conditions such as diabetes or coronary heart disease and provide independent clinics and appointments.

Vernon Mukori, Clinical Pharmacist covering the Optimus GP federation in Lincoln, said: “I make sure that any monitoring that needs to be done is up to date and I can prescribe if needs be and arrange any follow ups.

“I help manage people with long term diseases and will see patients for medication reviews. The patient and I agree plans going forward on how they would like to proceed.

“If a patient has a medication related issue, then the most appropriate professional to see would be a clinical pharmacist.”

Clinical Pharmacists ensure patients are seen quicker by clinicians with the right skill set to provide the right care and at the same time free up GP time to see patients with the most acute needs.

It can also help reduce medicine waste, producing millions of pounds of savings for the NHS in Lincolnshire.

Steve Pitwell, Project Manager within the NHS in Lincolnshire, said: “These new processes ensure that patients have access to the right medicines at the right time to support their care.

“They reduce the unnecessary use of other medicines and improves the quality of the care we provide to our patient population.

“Pharmaceuticals are a huge part of the NHS budget. Considerable savings can be achieved by implementing robust and efficient prescribing policies.

“Ultimately, it is supporting the sustainability of the NHS for the next generation.”   

Follow us on Twitter:

Hide this section
Show accessibility tools