Clinical Pharmacists
Leading Healthier Lives
Clinical Pharmacists
Clinical Pharmacists play an important role in patient care as part of GP practices, as they work with you to make sure that your medicines are right for you to help you get better and stay well. They can also support you make lifestyle changes to support your overall health and wellbeing.
GPA Clinical Pharmacists currently work in Grand Union practices. If your practice is part of a different PCN, please get in touch with them to find out what services they offer.
When should I see a clinical pharmacist?
You will see a Clinical Pharmacist when you need expert advice on medication. Some examples are:
- Long-term Conditions
- If you have a condition such as heart failure, chronic kidney disease, depression, arthritis, or high blood pressure, we can discuss the medicines you are taking to make sure they are right for you and your condition. We will consider your priorities, how they work for you as well as national and local guidance on the safe use of these medicines and management of your condition.
- Perimenopause
- We can discuss your symptoms and support you in finding the most appropriate treatment.
- Care home support
- We work closely with patients and representatives in the local care homes our practices support. This can be to support with medication reviews and long-term condition monitoring, or to support with other medicine issues relating to the care home setting.
- Experiencing Side Effects
- If you are experiencing a side effect from your medicines, we can discuss this with you, to help identify which, if any, of your medicines might be the cause and discuss with you how to manage these.
- Reviewing Your Medicines- Structured Medication Reviews
- If you are taking medicines over the long-term, you should be seen for a review at least once a year. Our team of pharmacists all have additional training to carry out a detailed review of your medicines with you.
- After a Stay in Hospital
- If your medicines have changed, we can help explain these changes.
We work closely with all the other staff in your GP practice and will always signpost you to another member of the team if your query is outside our scope of practice.
Where can I see a Clinical Pharmacist?
Grand Union Primary Care Network
- Abington Medical Centre
- Abington Park Surgery
- King Edward Road Surgery
- Leicester Terrace Health Centre
- Greenview Surgery
How to book an appointment with a Clinical Pharmacist?
To book an appointment with a Clinical Pharmacist, you will need to phone your registered GP surgery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please make an appointment to discuss your concerns with one of our team. We will be able to support you in identifying if the medication is causing this and decide with you on the best way to manage this.
This depends on what your appointment is for and if it is telephone or face to face. Most appointments are approximately 15 minutes.
Please contact the GP practice you booked the appointment with; it is important that you do this to ensure we can offer the slot to someone else.
Please ensure if you have been asked for any blood tests, you get these done before your appointment. Think about any questions you have about your medicines; you can write these down if you think you might forget. For more information click here.
Case Study
Story
The patient, aged 47 years, had found over last couple of years she has been struggling to sleep, she had been feeling more anxious, experiencing muscle aches and pains, and has started to have hot flushes in the last few months. She rang her practice who suggested she see one of the clinical pharmacists who has additional training in managing patients going through the menopause.
Goals
The Pharmacist was able to discuss the patients’ symptoms with her and how these are impacting on her life. The patient was able to discuss her concerns that there might be a different health issue and wanted to ensure this wasn’t missed. She also wanted some more information about HRT and if this might be an option for her.
Solutions
The Pharmacist ordered some blood tests for the patient and explained the reasons for these were to screen for other conditions which could also cause similar symptoms the patient was experiencing. The patient was also reassured her symptoms were likely to be due to peri-menopause. The Pharmacist also provided the patient with a brief overview of the HRT available and provided the client with more information.
Outcomes
The patient admitted she had originally requested an appointment with a GP and wasn’t aware that the pharmacist was able to help. She was very grateful for the support and advice and particularly glad that the pharmacist had been able to see her far sooner than if she had waited for the GP. Her blood tests had excluded any other causes of her symptoms, and she was able to commence HRT. She has a plan to follow up with the pharmacist in 3 months to review how she is getting on with this.
Patient Testimonials
