10/09/2024
How long have you been in your current role?
“I started this role in June 2024 so I am still quite new to the role. I work part time in palliative care and part time as a clinical pharmacist in Altnagelvin. I believe working between the two jobs will be a benefit to both of them.”
Tell a little about your career before this post?
“I qualified as a pharmacist July 2010 after which I began my career in community pharmacy. I changed my area of practice to Hospital Pharmacy in January of 2016 and I have been working in Altnagelvin Hospital since this. I have experience working in a range of clinical areas, including care of the elderly, A&E and surgery.”
“I have a postgraduate diploma in Advanced Pharmacy Practice with Independent Prescribing and I have been practicing as a Non-medical prescriber since December 2021 in the Western Trust.”
“In January 2022 I took up an Enhanced Pathways post in the trust, where I was a part of a small team treating outpatients who had Covid-19, and since that job ended I’ve been working on the surgical wards in Altnagelvin.”
What made you decide to become a Palliative Care Pharmacist?
“Throughout my time working on the wards as a clinical pharmacist I have encountered palliative patients and the palliative care multi-disciplinary team members.”
“I admired how this team dealt with their patients and how thorough and considerate they were to the patients and their families. I am passionate about providing the highest quality of care for patients and their families at what can be a challenging time for patients and their loved ones. Working within the palliative care team will allow me to dedicate more time to these patients and their families.”
“This is a new role within the trust and I am keen to develop the role and work within the multi-disciplinary team.”
What is the role of a Palliative Care Pharmacist?
“As this is a new role within the trust, I will be involved with developing this role to suit the needs of the service. I am embedding myself within the multi-disciplinary team and have been getting involved in the different areas of palliative care.”
“The job role of a palliative pharmacist crosses between different interfaces such as the Foyle Hospice, acute hospital sites and primary care. I am involved within the Foyle Hospice inpatient unit and completing medication reviews for the patients.”
“The job role involves counselling patients and their families regarding medications and following up patients regarding their medication plans. This role will help to bridge the gap between the different interfaces with regards to medications and will improve patient care.”
“Other aspects of the job includes education of the MDT and the wider pharmacy team and being involved in trust wide groups to develop better/more efficient ways of working for everyone who is involved in the care of palliative patients.”
Are there any moments/things that you found particularly challenging and/or rewarding about your role?
“I am still quite new to the role; however I am already finding the job extremely rewarding. The patients and their families are very grateful for all that the palliative care team does and I feel fortunate that they are so welcoming to me; as a newer addition to the team, at this very difficult time in their lives. I was surprised to discover all the resources available to palliative patients and I’m inspired to hopefully be able to add to this.”
“This job is showing me a different prospective to palliative care and seeing the strength in patients and their families is truly gratifying.”