Jatinder Heer - Pharmacy Technician

Atika Tailor - Community pharmacist

Mental Health Pharmacy Technician

Pharmacy Manager Mental Health

Locum Pharmacist Mental Health

Community Mental Health Pharmacist

Specialist Mental Health Pharmacist

Sally Farmer - Regional Pharmacy Manager

00:00:06:03 [Speaker 1]: Awesome. Lovely. Well, Sally, um, I think we'll start off by doing a little, um, intro. Um, so if you just tell us your name and your role,  

00:00:22:00 [Speaker 2]: Paula, and I'm a community pharmacist, a daily response today.  

00:00:26:20 [Speaker 1]: Wonderful. Thank you so much. And could you describe to us what your role looks like and what it involves in a kind of day to day way?  

00:00:41:01 [Speaker 2]: So my daily role as a community pharmacist involves, um, giving advice to patients for minor ailments over the counter offering NHS and private services, and generally helping patients to maintain that good health. Um, I also make sure the pharmacy is running safely and every day is Cyprus my mind part, I would say I also have other roles, um, as a regional pharmacist manager one day a week, and a primary care network lead as well. And there's a supportive roles where I help other local pharmacies 

00:01:14:07 to, um, sort of the day-to-day running of the pharmacy and help them link with the health care professionals under the sub stays so that we can all, um, have a more integrated health and social care system for the local community.  

00:01:31:15 [Speaker 1]: Awesome. Thank you so much. Cause you mentioned patient safety and this is like a massive, massive area. Could you kind of go into that in a little bit more detail and sort of explain to us, you know, how you do what to keep patients safe and what that kind of looks like for us? Just cause it's like, it's one of those phrases that you're like, whoa, close to it. Okay, cool.  

00:01:59:08 [Speaker 2]: Say patient safety. They, my mind poverty in the pharmacy and this involves, um, so being the responsible pharmacist every day, when we dispense the medicines, I can keep check all the prescriptions to make sure that it's safe and appropriate for the patient. I also make sure that over the time to sales have been sold appropriately and it's safe for the patients there. Um, we try and do risk assessments all the time and make sure that any mistakes that are made, we learn from them and correct 

00:02:32:14 them so that we can be safer going forward. Um, sorry. I've lost my way that  

00:02:44:23 [Speaker 1]: I did that. I just want to say don't panic because the beauty about this is if you say something and you don't like it, you can just tell us again, we're not in any rush we've got as long as you've got. So if you want to like scrap something or finish somethings or mid-sentence and start something else, then you just want to take your lead really.  

00:03:07:01 [Speaker 2]: Okay. That's fine. Is that, was that enough? Do you think on patient safety or do you want me to  

00:03:12:02 [Speaker 1]: There's there's quite a bit there. I wonder if, um, I mean you told us about your regional management and that's an interesting dimension as well. So maybe we could have a little bit on the regional work as well as like the day-to-day community pharmacy stuff. You want to show the diversity of all the exciting things that you're doing and the different levels of responsibility.  

00:03:40:22 [Speaker 2]: Yeah. I almost, I forgot to say about being clinically for the COVID center. So I'll just say that as well.  

00:03:47:05 [Speaker 1]: Absolutely.  

00:03:49:23 [Speaker 2]: One of my other roles is being clinical lead for the type of vaccination center and, um, we've delivered over 5,000 COVID vaccinations so far, which has been great. Yeah. I call it I'm losing the plot.  

00:04:11:02 [Speaker 1]: Have you got notes there? Yeah, I want, uh, and this is maybe this is more like a me thing, like when I've got notes, sometimes it derails me a bit because I'm reading it and I'm like checking. Yeah. Yeah.  

00:04:27:08 [Speaker 2]: I'm trying to make sure I get everything in, but it's hard to, like, I might look at them and then read about them then say if that's okay,  

00:04:34:10 [Speaker 1]: Record. I mean, this is kind of just radical suggested if you like put them to one side and actually when you get talking, like we did previously, once you start talking, when you do off the cuff, it's really natural and it really flows and you for me anyway, as well, when I talk like that, I'm much more relaxed and I feel like I can just say stuff from the heart. Like I know what I do and I can say it, but I think sometimes when you've kind of prepared loads and I know you've got 

00:05:05:20 stuff you really want to squeeze in, but then it can make it a little bit more stressful. I find because you're like checking, looking down, checking if you feel comfortable doing so. Um, if you want to just like put them to the side, that's fine because you've got it. You've got it all there. And you told us that in the pre-interview, you know, it's a little strange because like, you're kind of just talking to like a black screen with a name on it. It's, it's a strange setup, but I think if we, the more you 

00:05:39:12 sort of talk it out, if you want to like, imagine that we're not recording and you just, how you told me before. Yes. You could say, yeah.  

00:05:51:05 [Speaker 2]: That's all right. So what are we on again? That's  

00:05:54:17 [Speaker 1]: Right. Do you want to call us just a bit? We could, we could do the sort of intro to your role and you can tell us, I work as a community pharmacist. I do regional management and I've just been working in the COVID clinics as well, setting up COVID clinics. So you're just giving us that overview just yeah, from the heart.  

00:06:20:12 [Speaker 2]: So my role is a community pharmacist. Um, my day to day role has been in the pharmacy giving over the cancer advice to patients them on around them and making sure the pharmacy is running safely, um, ensuring the dispensary is running safely and that we're dispensing the medicines appropriately and clinically checking all the prescriptions and, um, calling the GPS if it's not right. And just generally helping patients maintain their good health rate day and providing NHS and private services. I also do another role, which is a regional pharmacist manager role for 

00:06:55:12 Day-Lewis pharmacy. And this is just one day a week and involves me going right into the pharmacy and making sure they're compliant with everything, making sure it's safe again and supporting people, training people, um, and just Germany, you know, helping them relay. I also happen to the role, which is primary care network lead for towards in west. And that involves, um, providing a link between the pharmacist and other 

00:07:22:01 healthcare professionals and other service providers so that we can all help patients severe more integrated health and social care system for the local community. I'm also a clinical lead for COVID vaccination center at the moment. And we've delivered over 5,000 vaccines so far. This involves me again, checking that it's all safe, running efficiently. Uh reconstitutes in vaccines, giving vaccines to patients doing risk assessments with patients to make sure that the vaccine is safe for them 

00:07:53:06 and appropriate. Um, and, and just generally reassuring people and making sure that they feel safe when that happened, a vaccine, um, interracial it's fine. Um, and then they won't get any ill effects. Cause a lot of people have been quite nervous. Um, so interacting with patients is, is one of the most important parts of my job bringing in and making sure that everything's safe. Sorry.  

00:08:22:11 [Speaker 1]: Perfect. I think, yeah, I think doing it without the notes and just going off the two that really works, it really works. And it's also because you're like, so I do this and I do this, I'll do this,  

00:08:35:23 [Speaker 2]: They cover it because I went on the radio race today and I said the same thing about 10 times. So finding that I'm going to send something over there. I forget which you're probably safe, Wanda, helpful to hear  

00:08:51:06 [Speaker 1]: Similar things, different ways because it works differently when we edit it. So we can use like the different ways you've said it. So don't worry about repeating things or saying things slightly differently, you know, saying the same thing differently. Cause that all just works for us. So yeah, no, no. Um, so like shifting gears slightly and we like backtrack, could you tell us what attracted you about pharmacy? 

00:09:20:09 What was the thing that made you want to become a pharmacist? Okay.  

00:09:26:22 [Speaker 2]: So what made me decide to work in pharmacy really was that I really liked health and science and maths. Um, I wanted to do a course at university that would give me a job at the end. Uh, so vocational course, I wanted a professional job, um, with, with a challenge and that's exactly what I got and I liked the thought of helping people, um, and making a difference to people's daily lives really. Um, so yeah, that was why I chose pharmacy.  

00:09:59:07 [Speaker 1]: Thank you. And could you tell us a little bit about your kind of route into pharmacy? Like what that was like, you know, being quite young, getting experience and now moving into the more like managerial side of things as well. So if you sort of tell us a little bit about those transitions.  

00:10:23:09 [Speaker 2]: So my journey through pharmacy, um, involved obviously through university, a lot of academic things, things on paper, um, some practical, uh, things in the lab, um, not much patient interaction at that time. Um, but that all changed when I went to work as a pre-registration pharmacist and that's where I got the hands-on experience that I needed for any, to be a pharmacist and to interact with patients. Um, because you can't, you can't then practice that on paper. So *you have 

00:10:56:06 to, you know, just throw yourself in at the deep end mainly. And that's when I really got to use all my expert knowledge, um, giving advice to the patients *that it was really rewarding and it made me feel good. Um, but the other, the other side of the coin was also managing the pharmacy, which was quite challenging at first, but again, really, really rewarding. I've met lots of different people, made lots of friends and, um, and help people to train, um, shared my knowledge with them to try and then watch them grow in 

00:11:27:05 their profession in their career. And then they've been an extra support to me in the pharmacy as well. And we've been able to do a lot more services and free my time up a little bit more. So, yeah, it's, it's been really rewarding in that way that I've also helped other people to achieve their goals in the pharmacy as well.  

00:11:49:07 [Speaker 1]: Awesome. I really love that me from like yeah, like being young and like facing that real challenge. And now you're in a position where you can train others. That's amazing. I think that's really inspiring for, you know, young people who'd be watching this or not necessarily young, but you know, more junior into pharmacy and he want to find their way through it. That's really, really helpful. Um, you've mentioned a couple of times about it being a rewarding profession. Could you give us maybe some examples of situations, stories from your working 

00:12:26:01 life that really show, you know, just how rewarding and important pharmacy is?  

00:12:36:12 [Speaker 2]: So the most rewarding moments of my journey so far are really just every time I could difference to a patient's daily life and every time I've helped to improve their health, um, and you know, how that helps their family, their friends, and, um, just makes their life better really. And I'm constantly learning new things, improving my skills and changing everything is changing all the time in pharmacy, new research and things. So, um, it's great to be able to sort of pass that knowledge on to patients. And, um, and my colleagues, I think sets in at the COVID 

00:13:10:19 vaccination center was one of the most challenging, but one of the most rewarding moments of my career so far and, um, you know, vaccinating over 5,000 patients so far, it's amazing to know that we're making a difference into getting the country out of the pandemic, which has been brilliant. And I think every defining moment in my career was when I was awarded with a chemist and druggist award for my work, through the COVID pandemic, through 

00:13:37:23 the vaccinations and giving them food jobs, um, you know, to my patients and the homeless, um, which was really a plan. And I feel very appreciated. That was nice.  

00:13:51:00 [Speaker 1]: That's awesome. I'd forgotten. You mentioned this before. Okay. Absolutely. No, this is wonderful. I mean, are there any sort of, um, examples, any patients that sort of stand out in your memory, any sort of particular moments where maybe someone's come in, you know, really, really struggling and you've been able to help them out to get the sort of support that they need, any sort of examples like that, that can give it, 

00:14:21:14 that kind of flavor of, of how exactly you all making that difference day in, day out.  

00:14:34:07 [Speaker 2]: Sorry. I'm just thinking I have to start it. Cause I know you sort of got to read the question back to you, so I'm just,  

00:14:40:01 [Speaker 1]: Um, let me think we can figure it out together a few times. What's the kind of example you've got in mind and we can think about how to like lead into it.  

00:14:51:01 [Speaker 2]: I was just wanting to think died today, read it. Cause I've got that patient obviously went round his high society's lie. Um, so I mentioned that one. Um, that was the one that would be okay.  

00:15:01:19 [Speaker 1]: I think so. Yeah. I mean, because it's not, you're not saying anything that would identify this person because this is such a hard hitting example that stayed with me after we spoke that that's the kind of thing. If we can leave someone with a really hard hitting example of just how important your job is. Yeah.  

00:15:23:21 [Speaker 2]: So one of the really important ways that, um, without patients in the pharmacy, um, we keep an eye on our patients and one patient didn't come and collect his medication and we called him and we had no answers. So me and my colleague went on lunch to his house to check if he was okay and tape it on the floor for three days. Um, and he was still alive luckily and we managed to get an ambulance to him and give the ambulance crew like, um, you know, the record of his, all his medicines and things and his condition. So they knew exactly what to do and what you 

00:15:57:00 needed. Um, and yeah, we saved his life. So that was amazing. And it shows how important pharmacies are in the local community and how pharmacies can be the pillar of the community rating and keeping on your patients.  

00:16:11:21 [Speaker 1]: Awesome. I love that phrase pillar of the community that feels a little bit really important to me that you're the ones like really keeping an eye and checking in on people and noticing, noticing that someone didn't pick up the medication. Could you tell us what it was like for you personally to be in that position of finding him and being able to make that cool?  

00:16:38:00 [Speaker 2]: I think the way it impacted me as a person, um, you know, saving that patient's life was that it makes me, it's made me realize how important health is, um, not just to the patient, to their friends and family and how important it is to maintain good health and my responsibility really, to ensure that that takes place. Um, emotionally I've learned a lot from my patients. I think,  

00:17:04:24 [Speaker 1]: Tell us a little bit more about what that is that you've learned. If you just give us a little extra on that  

00:17:13:12 [Speaker 2]: I've loved, I've cried with patients. Um, you know, but it's, it's hard to put into words really. Um,  

00:17:28:02 [Speaker 1]: Maybe if you sort of imagine if we're not recording this, but if you kind of tell me what you would want to say and then we could find a way.  

00:17:35:07 [Speaker 2]: Yeah. Um, so how it impacted me personally. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I think it's just, it's just rewarding to know that we're there and that if we weren't there, you know, with my, again, a difference to someone's life, um, and to their family and friends life as well. Um, yeah, I don't want to sound big headed.  

00:18:01:02 [Speaker 1]: Well, I suspected you were worried about, I was sort of thinking like maybe you're, you're kind of thinking, I can't really say too much about me and you know, my role and my impact, but actually I think because the audience for that yes are people that are interested in the profession and what reward, you know, we, we want to be rewarded in our careers. I think that's perfectly okay to get something out of it. And for someone to be able to watch this and go, oh my God, someone's telling me, 

00:18:32:22 I've laughed with patients. I've cried with patients. I've been there when they've been in that. Absolutely like most desperate need and I've been able to step in and sometimes save their lives. Like, that's just, I'm like, I want to do that. I want to.  

00:18:54:12 [Speaker 2]: Yeah. So I think that the way it's impacted me as a person being a pharmacist is that I've learned how important health is to people. Um, not just to the patients, to their family and friends. And *it's lovely when patients come back and tell you that made a difference with their friends and family bringing gifts and things like that. And just, you know, tell us how amazing we are really. And that we've, um, we've helped them a lot and you know, I've laughed, I've cried with patients and, um, 

00:19:26:04 you know, when they, when they've been really sad, um, and, and just try to cheer them up really and reassure them and, and tell them everything's gonna be okay. And I think, you know, *you've got to be a caring person to be a pharmacist and, um, and yeah, and, and you can make a big difference. Awesome. Thanks.  

00:19:48:08 [Speaker 1]: Yeah, we don't, yeah. We don't need to like, sort of make it like, sort of dumb it down or water down your role. I think we need to like, say exactly what you're doing to, yeah.  

00:19:58:18 [Speaker 2]: It's hard. Cause you just do it every day. You say, and you don't really think about it. So yeah.  

00:20:04:02 [Speaker 1]: Then you've got these strange film people coming in, make yourself up. Yeah, no, it feels important to, yeah. To, to show these a powerful role is a powerful role and you're advocating for patients and you're managing and you're responsible for keeping people safe. That's huge. We can't underestimate it. Um, I want to now, um, because you mentioned COVID a couple of times and the clinic, could you tell us a 

00:20:35:04 little bit more about what it's been like to work as a pharmacist during this really unique period in recent history  

00:20:46:03 [Speaker 2]: During the COVID pandemic? Um, the P the profession of pharmacy and community pharmacy change completely very late, but we became the front door of the NHS and our patients can come in and see us without an appointment and we're accessible. And, um, it was just nice to be able to, you know, help patients and reassure them and link them with, with other services and professionals if needed. And, um, it's been tough on, on pharmacists, on the teams I'm wearing PPE all day, um, and managing 

00:21:16:20 all of that. And the, and the change. It was very, very challenging, but also very rewarding. And it was amazing to, you know, to know we were making a difference to, to help the country get through this pandemic. Um, and also, you know, supporting with the COVID vaccinations as well. It's all been hard work, but it's been well worth it. And, um, you know, we've, we've lost patients through the pandemic. It's been really sad, but we've also helped a lot of patients as well. And, um, you know, it's, it's so 

00:21:47:07 important that we're there and especially when the GPS were so snowed under and we could support the GPS to help pay for the smile. Um, so yeah, that's,  

00:22:00:23 [Speaker 1]: Yeah, that's awesome. Thank you. And I love the phrase, the front door of the NHS. I really, really love that.  

00:22:09:07 [Speaker 2]: Try to get these little snippets in  

00:22:12:01 [Speaker 1]: The community front or of the NHS. I love it because it just gives you that really like visual sense of what you're doing. Could you tell us what it was like to receive your award for your work during the pandemic?  

00:22:28:22 [Speaker 2]: So I was really surprised to receive an award for my work during the pandemic. And, um, you know, there were a lot of other candidates on there that had done so much work and that were so amazing. Uh, but it's lovely to be appreciated. Um, you know, I'll have what, we've all worked hard to pharmacy through the pandemic. Um, and I couldn't have done it without my team. Um, but you know, setting up a COVID clinic giving two thirds of the vaccination is personally myself on top of the daily 

00:22:59:18 workload, um, was really tough. And it's just nice to know that I've helped patients and that it's appreciated really. So, yeah, it was really lovely.  

00:23:10:12 [Speaker 1]: Awesome. Thank you. That was a lot of vaccinations to be giving out  

00:23:17:04 [Speaker 2]: Pretty much. I don't want to tell them that though.  

00:23:22:11 [Speaker 1]: I think it's, yeah, it's important because like you're talking about, you know, it is tough. It's really challenging. We're not anything we're all working in a global pandemic, but to be awarded and rewarded for what you've done. I think that's really important to make sure we include that deeply to know. Yeah. Um, I'm just trying to think if we might need more detail on what you've been up to in your role or raisin. I mean, there's, there's one thing that we haven't sort of covered, which is 

00:23:54:08 like those really common myths about pharmacy and versus the reality we often have, you know, quite, uh, like members of the public, you know, like me, like the team doing this project, we, none of us really, really understood pharmacy as a profession, what pharmacists do. Um, so if you could maybe think about that unexplained to us, what those myths are and 

00:24:19:18 stereotypes about pharmacy versus what pharmacist actually do.  

00:24:27:21 [Speaker 2]: Yeah. I th I think there's a lot of myths in pharmacy, um, about what pharmacists actually do. And it's a lot more than just being in a retail environment and, um, and giving out medicines really, you know, I've had people say to me, oh, you only got to pick it off the shelf. It's not quite that simple. Um, behind the scenes, we've got a team of, you know, or the skilled professionals, pumps, technicians, accredited check-in technicians, and we are doing double, triple checks on everything that comes in and goes out. Um, so as a pharmacist, we look at 

00:25:01:00 the prescriptions and clinically check them and check they're safe for the patients and their appropriate yet with, I need to check that what's been dispensed is correct. And that goes out to the patient because if there's a mistake there that could be really damaging to a patient. And if the prescriber has made a mistake, we have to phone them and ask them to check the, check it, and sometimes get them to change the prescription and send us a new one. So that it's, um, it's safe for the 

00:25:28:20 patient and also legal as well as a lot of legal implications in pharmacy that we need to take into consider ration. So a prescription has to be written legally, um, this controlled drugs to consider that have to be locked away, and we have to keep a running balance of, and check that the, the, all the stocks there every week check out the prescriptions in date, and that it's all written correctly. And on top of that, you've also got to go out to the counter and give customers advice when needed on them on 

00:26:01:05 around moments. And you might be providing them with projects and giving them advice on those, as well as providing other services, NHS and private services. So I also, um, give monofilament services for water infections, um, you know, fresh treatments, chloramphenicol for conjunctivitis. Um, I also provide about 60 private services. So vaccinations travel, vaccines 

00:26:31:11 travel, then things like Traveler's diarrhea and different things like that. So that there's a lot of different, different roles in the pharmacy that you have to juggle every day, as well as managing and checking patient safe day, but it's doable and it's, it's enjoyable. Um, just very, very challenging  

00:26:51:23 [Speaker 1]: Also, thank you. That's a really good overview of all of the different things that you're doing. And then just like giving us a much sort of deeper look behind the scenes. Yeah.  

00:27:01:21 [Speaker 2]: Probably went on a bit there. They didn't know  

00:27:04:08 [Speaker 1]: Don't, don't worry. Cause that's, that's where we come in. We'll pick up bits that we need for the piece. That's yeah. That's where Jake will be. I'm wondering if you could kind of tell us, like paint us a picture of where pharmacy is going, like the pharmacy of the future and where you want to see the future of pharmacy.  

00:27:32:24 [Speaker 2]: So the theater of community pharmacy and all of that's changed through the pandemic. And I think pharmacists have been seen as, as professionals now and that we, um, we are making a huge difference in the NHS. Pharmacists will all be prescribers in the next few years. Um, so that's a massive change for us and we'll be able to sort of help the NHS, um, give people medications, well, like actually prescribe it rather than just dispense it. Um, and all the rest of the team will need to be 

00:28:10:00 upscaled to accommodate for the farm, providing more services to patients one to one. So it will involve the pharmacist, training people more and making sure that they can run the dispensary while pharmacists are more patient facing on the counter in the consultation room. So it's a challenging time, uh, managing everyday unprofessionally and, um, a lot of 

00:28:34:18 changes happening right now, but, um, it will, it will all be worth it.  

00:28:40:20 [Speaker 1]: Awesome. And can you tell us like what the most exciting thing is about the future of pharmacy? Is there like one thing in particular that really stands out to you?  

00:28:55:18 [Speaker 2]: I think the most exciting thing about the future of pharmacy is being more integrated with the healthcare professionals, um, and sort of helping to get that overall service to our patients really. So we can all talk to each other and make sure we've got, you know, we focus on everything that the patient is going through rather than just saying one thing in the pharmacy than the different thing at the GP surgery. Um, I think the future is changing that we will all talk to each other more and 

00:29:26:19 integrate more to give patients the best service and, and help them to maintain their good health.  

00:29:35:13 [Speaker 1]: Great. Thank you. And I wonder also, like thinking about the audience, this thinking about some of that, maybe that anxieties worries, fears about taking on such a big, you know, career path and maybe they might be worried, am I up to it? Am I able to do it? Not just sort of academically, because obviously you need the academics, but also like emotionally, because there's so much communication and really quite, you 

00:30:08:15 know, as you said, like difficult situations that are upsetting that all overwhelming at times, like what would you say to someone considering this as a profession to kind of encourage them that this is, this is for you, and this is really exciting and rewarding to be in.  

00:30:30:07 [Speaker 2]: I think you should consider pharmacy as a profession if you're a caring person. And if you want a professional vocational course that you can start after university, um, one that integrates health and science, that's challenging and rewarding where you're constantly learning and you'll never be bored. There's a lot of different roles that you can undertake, um, and a lot of different career paths, but all the way through there is support the support with the team that you have. And there's other 

00:31:02:09 pharmacist support for the Royal pharmaceutical society for the general pharmaceutical council. And, um, you know, you can really make a difference to people's lives. And I think if that's for you, then, then pharmacy is definitely for you.  

00:31:16:24 [Speaker 1]: Awesome. Thank you so much. Yeah. Like reflecting back for yourself, like personally, like if you could say something to your younger self, when you were just embarking on your career, what would be the thing you'd say to, to reassure you yourself, to encourage yourself that, you know, you've got this, you can do this. This is well worth persevering.  

00:31:46:19 [Speaker 2]: I think you've almost to speak to my younger self when I was just embarking on my career. Um, I think I would tell myself that it's going to be amazing. Um, there's going to be ups and downs and you've all going to make such a difference to the community and to people's lives. And you're gonna, you know, learn so much and so many new skills meet so many lovely people and, you know, just, just be a professional and 

00:32:17:15 enjoy it right day. And then, yeah, you'd be doing things that you didn't even think possible.  

00:32:27:14 [Speaker 1]: That's awesome. I'm just wondering, just cause I've loved some of the things that you've said, like the images, the pillar of the community front door of the NHS, I kind of feel like we need to sort of capture that in maybe one like soundbite almost where you could tell us, you know, becoming a pharmacist is amazing. A pharmacist is the pillar of the community. We've been there for patients throughout the whole pandemic. We've been the front door of the NHS, you know, something along those lines that just like gives us a big like smack, like, yeah, I want to, I want to 

00:33:01:12 keep like tell me more basically, which I think would be nice to include at the beginning actually like talking about your name and your role, then you say, Hey, pharmacy is this incredible profession. We are a pillar of the community. We've been the front door of the NHS throughout the pandemic. You know, something along those lines that just yeah. Gets us wanting to, to hear your passion for your job.  

00:33:30:16 [Speaker 2]: So beta pharmacist is fantastic and where the front door or the NHS patients can come and see us and we're accessible at any time. We've made a huge difference during the pandemic and, but yeah,  

00:33:51:01 [Speaker 1]: But you're just, yeah, you're giving it. So I think, yeah, if you almost like, again, just sort of ignore, ignore the notes, place yourself, you know, or like, what can I do to convince someone that this is, this is a badass job. You know, we are the front door of the NHS. We've been here for patients day in, day out. We are a pillar of the community. You know, you, I'm guessing you hear things about people that very few people would ever hear. That's a really important relationship. So 

00:34:22:19 that's the kind of thing that we can help to yeah. To keep someone coming back and help someone passive. If they're like really low and thinking, gosh, I'm so overwhelmed. The study is hard. The work is hard. Or I don't know that this is even for me, it's those bits, those kinds of feelings that we want to give someone. Yeah.  

00:34:49:18 [Speaker 2]: So being a pharmacist is absolutely amazing. Um, you can be the pillar of the community and patients can come in and see you any time you're accessible. You're the front door of the NHS. You can provide them with confidential expert advice on medicines that nobody else can, and you can help save their lives. You can, um, provide them with medical patient services that they might not otherwise have known about and you'll 

00:35:19:22 be constantly learning. And you can share that knowledge with the colleagues and patients and with pharmacists, it made a huge difference during the pandemic and it is tough at university and it is, it is a challenging job, but it's so, so rewarding and well it, yeah, that's awesome.  

00:35:44:18 [Speaker 1]: Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I think there's, there's loads there. Um, I want to just come back or turn my video back on. Um, yeah, I think there's, there's lots of great things that you've, you've told us, you've explained your job, the ins and outs, how difficult it's been under COVID, but what you've actually been up to and the fact that you've been award winning for, for your work. I mean, there's loads there checking with Jake and see take, are you still there? Is there anything, do 

00:36:15:08 you feel like we need to add?  

00:36:23:23 [Speaker 2]: I just, I think I just hate talk in looking at myself. Yeah.  

00:36:28:19 [Speaker 1]: It's a very strange environment, isn't it? Because it's in a way that it's kind of not the most natural set up, but once you get yeah, it's  

00:36:37:14 [Speaker 2]: Just, so it's just been a whirlwind. It's just hard to put it into words and talk about what's going on when you say busy all the time. I think, um, thanks for prompting me.  

00:36:48:20 [Speaker 1]: It's all great stuff. I think when sometimes when, when I've done this with polite, if I've over-prepared and if I've tried to make sure, like I've got everything down on paper, sometimes my mind just goes blank. I'm like, do I want again?  

00:37:01:22 [Speaker 2]: Yeah. I just think I'm not the most articulate stuff, right? No,  

00:37:06:14 [Speaker 1]: I think, I think the opposite actually. I think when you just get the hang of, when you start talking, you're incredibly clear, concise, you know exactly what you're saying and why you're saying it, which is the most important thing. Yeah. Is there anything else that you feel that we haven't covered or you want to add? Um, that feels  

00:37:33:16 [Speaker 2]: So I think can think of kind of the nice things. I mean, I suppose I didn't mention sort of the health independent advice I give to patients as well at the more holistic approach. But, um, I suppose I've said give advice a lot. So I suppose that could be in with that, but let's stop smoking and weight management and alcohol and things like that. Um, it's not just about the medicines ready sometimes.  

00:37:55:16 [Speaker 1]: Oh, I love what you've just said that maybe we can just do a tiny little section where you, you say that it's not all about the medicines. What I provide is holistic care. And then there's, what is that? What those things are. I'll stop my video and mute myself. So that feels really important because again, that's like the myth-busting side a bit, but no, it's about patience. It's about, so yeah, I'll, I'll stop my 

00:38:25:02 bid, meet myself and you can tell us  

00:38:32:24 [Speaker 2]: Giving healthy lifestyle advice is a really part of my job is as well. It's not just about medicines. It's about the whole holistic approach that we give to patients, whether it be stop smoking advice, weight management, advice, um, you know, exercise and diabetes, managing long-term conditions. All of these things are really important. We also link people with their local community agents so they can get care at home or from different service providers as well. So it's not just about the medicines that we concentrate on in the pharmacies. It's also about the 

00:39:06:10 whole patient care approach that we give.  

00:39:10:11 [Speaker 1]: Brilliant. Yeah. That's awesome. Yeah.  

00:39:16:13 [Speaker 2]: Nothing. That's nothing. That's probably covered most things. That's fantastic. You got a good sense of all the different parts of your job, what they look like, how things have changed under COVID. I think we're all done. 

Min Teo - Clinical Directo

00:00:00:02 [Speaker 1]: So my name is min. I work in a general practice as a pharmacist, and I do have multiple roles on a day to day basis. I'm a clinical pharmacist dealing with patients, seeing patients, uh, dealing with the medication and triaging patients for minor illness. And on a site, I do have a responsibility as a co clinical director of our local primary care network.  

00:00:28:18 [Speaker 1]: So being a clinical director, I shared a job with a GP and both of us lead the direction of the, uh, primary care network. So it's more about strategy training, right? So it's more of a strategy setting, uh, population health, and trying to make the January practice more resilient, finding ways to work together as a multiple practices to 

00:00:56:06 work together, to be, to be trying to better care for patients.  

00:01:01:05 [Speaker 2]: Yeah. How did you find yourself taking that role? Because I understand it's not very common for a pharmacist.  

00:01:08:23 [Speaker 1]: Yeah. Being a clinical director in a primary care work. Of course, it's not that common. I think there's about four or five of us in the country at the moment. Maybe more now I may be wrong. Uh, how I actually ended up there is I got involved in the primary care network, the PCN playing of work, uh, such suggesting about different ideas, giving different ideas about recruitment, how to use pharmacies. And at the time the clinical director was like, okay, so you've got call it a lot of different ideas, uh, will be nice if you can actually help me out. So that 

00:01:41:01 actually got to where I am today. So it's just being able to help, even if it's not your responsibility, just helping.  

00:01:51:05 [Speaker 2]: Am I right in thinking you had a lot of ideas of what you can do to improve the health system from a pharmacist point of view?  

00:01:58:22 [Speaker 1]: Well, I wouldn't say a lot of ideas about a health system. I wouldn't dare to say that. Um, I will say it's more about at that point in time, we were talking about recruitment of pharmacists. So how we can use pharmacists for different practices and being a pharmacist. I do have experienced in what the pharmacist does. So sharing that idea and then things just roll on from there. There may be different projects that's coming around and different things that's going on. So you just use your experience as a clinician, as well as the pharmacist to, to, to share with 

00:02:33:12 my colleague. Yeah.  

00:02:35:16 [Speaker 2]: Can you give me an example of maybe how something you've done in your clinical lab informed something you've done?  

00:02:44:19 [Speaker 1]: Right. Okay. I may need to think about it. Yep. So clinical role on a day to day basis, and it leads to the clinical director site, um, well being the clinical director of a PCN, you need to know what's going on on a day to day basis. So what is the challenges that patients are facing? What are the challenges that the, the workforce, the, the people that work in general practice is actually facing? So it is very, 

00:03:20:13 I can give you an example of exactly how it translates, but knowing what's going on in the ground, what are the challenges? What is the need of the population is really important? So you can actually set direction that helps the, the workload for the, uh, the practices. And at the same time, you know, what is needed by the patient. And you can start planning to make 

00:03:43:24 life and care better for patients.  

00:03:47:15 [Speaker 2]: We're already editing that into the video. Is there anything that particularly frustrates you about how the general public thinks  

00:04:04:16 [Speaker 1]: A lay person like public point of view? If they look into pharmacy, I mean, pharmacy is well known to just be working in a shop, counting tablets, I think a few years back that somebody just saying that you're just counting smartest, um, in the press. And some people call it a glorified, uh, shopkeeper, but that is not true. I mean, we are not glorified shopkeepers. We are expecting medicines. So even if some pharmacy working in a community pharmacy setting, if anybody has any problems with 

00:04:35:21 their medication, that should be the first port of call because they know all about medication, more than a nurse, a doctor, because four years of university and many years of experience of working with medicine, drugs, that's, that's what pharmacists are expert in medicines.  

00:04:58:19 [Speaker 2]: Why didn't you see the pharmacy  

00:05:02:01 [Speaker 1]: Right. Pharmacy? I, why did I do pharmacy? I did not. I did not actually chose pharmacy. Not quite, not quite so I know what I didn't want to do. And I know that I would like to be in a road that is quite flexible, that has element of business element of management, element of science, element of helping people. And pharmacy seems to be one that has a bit of everything. So you can say that I didn't have, I did not meet 

00:05:35:23 up. I did not. Well let's re re redo that you can say that I haven't actually made up my mind back in my ear level is time. That is that really what I want to do, but it just falls in place that this is a course that I eventually ended up with and may do with it. And it was an exciting journey since  

00:06:00:24 [Speaker 1]: It does. Uh, particularly with the more recent progression of in my rows. It does actually widen my scope. Uh, I'm not just a pharmacist. Again, a lot of pharmacists meeting that they are just a pharmacist, but you are part of a wider health care community. You are a clinically trained person. You you're part of the NHS team. So I wouldn't say, um, has he got the best art for me at this point in time? I may feel 

00:06:34:01 yes, but tomorrow I may feel not yet because when you look back, Oh, that's easy. I could have done more then, but people grows and expand. Yes, That? Uh, is there anything that surprises me about myself? Stereotypically 

00:07:19:02 pharmacists are more black or white, um, because when you receive a prescription, you follow the instruction or the prescription you are trained that way in university, that's always a right or wrong. And that's 

00:07:31:14 how I taught. I will be. But being coming into general practice, the whole world is gray. Everything is subjective. There's no right or wrong answer. Uh, and it also relies on what the patient actually says. You need to take the patient's context into consideration. So having to work in a very great environment, it's not something that is comfortable for pharmacists as a whole, but it's quite surprising that I got into this role and I feel I get 

00:08:03:05 more and more comfortable with myself making decision in a area where there's no right or wrong answer, as long as you can actually defend what you're doing. And that, that knowledge, that experience is also very useful when it comes to, uh, my clinical director role as well, because a lot of physician is not black or white, and you're actually dealing with a lot of uncertainty dealing with a lot of, uh, senior executives from the hospital 

00:08:32:05 and senior executives from other organization.  

00:08:40:23 [Speaker 1]: Right. So dealing with all the different scenarios as a creative is you it's about negotiating as well. So the negotiation skills we patient comes into play as well. As a person, what skews as a person or a right by being a pharmacist, you 

00:09:35:21 mean  

00:09:44:22 [Speaker 2]: okay.  

00:09:48:08 [Speaker 1]: Okay. So being a pharmacist, uh, the skills that I've learned as a pharmacist is attention to detail. Uh, making sure everything is right and just being Torah, uh, those, uh, key skews that you need to be, to be a pharmacist. And you don't need to have that beforehand, but you, you will be able to set up your, uh, in an environment that you will have those skills. When you continue with your career. Being a 

00:10:19:06 clinical director side of things is slightly different. You need to be assertive. You need to be able to negotiate with different people, being able to work with conflicting personalities. Um, and I've just lost one thing there that you need to be able to just thinking. Uh, Well, so one 

00:10:49:09 other thing as well, being a clinical director is you need to be able to take risk and because a lot of things are uncertain. So yeah, it's basically about taking risk and when there's not enough information, and that is contradicting to being a pharmacist, because you being a pharmacist, you have all the information at hand, you make your tarot of your decision. Whereas being a clinical director, you have not enough 

00:11:20:07 information and you just need to make a decision based on the available information. Okay,  

00:11:46:01 [Speaker 1]: Being a healthcare professional. I mean, since graduation, you need to take an oath that whatever you do, you're doing it for the good of the patient. So no matter how busy it is, as long as the thing that you're actually doing something good for the patient, whether you are in a shop in the community, pharmacy in a general practice, um, making a position as a clinical director, or even if you work for the CCG, uh, the clinical commissioning group, you are making decisions for the better of the patients, wherever your portfolio is. So as long as you hold 

00:12:18:24 onto that, uh, and making sure that you don't burn out, making sure that you actually take care of yourself as well. I think that's the key reminder is for the patient. And as long as you take care of yourself, you will be able to care for your patient.  

00:12:35:04 [Speaker 2]: How can you be so nice? How'd you find it? Cause I know everyone can do that, right? It's a pretty compassionate thing to do. If you make a few sacrifices to help, how do you find,  

00:12:49:21 [Speaker 1]: I don't think any person finding it, you may have a bit of it in yourself. We are all human and we are not born to be difficult with anyone, but being in a team, being in a team that everyone had the same mentality, whether is it nurses, healthcare system, uh, GPS, colleagues from hospital, everyone, everyone shares the same passion. And when you're in such an environment, it passes on from one person to the 

00:13:19:00 next and you support each other.  

00:13:29:14 [Speaker 2]: If someone is say they're on their health education in the website and they think that sounds okay, but I'm not quite sure. Is there anything that you would say to them?  

00:13:50:21 [Speaker 1]: So anybody that wants to anybody that wants to that, they're not too sure whether they want to be pharmacists or not in the future. You're still thinking, okay. I will say this is a very versatile role. You, the knowledge is extremely versatile. You have scientific knowledge. You can go into research. You, you have the people skill. So you, you can deal with patients. You, you 

00:14:21:02 learn how to deal with different healthcare professionals. And this is basically everyone in the world because patients come from all walks of life, uh, anywhere in the world. And what's key as well is that these people have skill. You can take it out of healthcare. You can go into any career anywhere, any field, and you'll still be able to use it. Don't just take it. That pharmacy degree is just a pharmacy degree. It's a degree is a 

00:14:52:03 science degree. So you can, it's very versatile. Is there  

00:15:06:24 [Speaker 2]: Anything that you wanted to say? Nope, I haven't. You're going to wake up in the middle of night. I wish I said that. So what else do I want to say? You wouldn't regret. I mean, be a pharmacist if you wouldn't regret because the sector is changing so rapidly, there's a need for pharmacists everywhere in the world, in the UK. There's so many new sector and that that's an exhaust. Okay. So yeah, let's start that over 

00:15:42:03 again. So it is, you know, but you, if you become a pharmacist, you wouldn't regret it. There's so many roles coming up. The sector is opening up. So from community pharmacy, from general practice, uh, the industry and the healthcare reform is coming and we're talking about different roles and that's just not enough healthcare workers in the entire NHS. So pharmacists 00:16:11:06 is key as well because our skills are very versatile. You know, about medicines, you you've got a people skills. I can reiterate that any more than what I've done, that you've got people skills and this is needed in the NHS. So if you think this is something you'd like to work with, people definitely come into pharmacy. You won't regret it.