Finalist
Standardising the Role of the Specialist Rheumatology Pharmacist to Demonstrate their Value, Support Rheumatology Services and Improve Patient Care
With support from: Sciterion
Summary of work
Specialist Rheumatology Pharmacists (SRPs) can offer vital support to improve patient care. Historically, there has been a lack of inclusion of Specialist Pharmacists within the rheumatology multidisciplinary team, mainly due to a lack of understanding and clarity of their role and value. To address this, an expert working group worked closely with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the British Society of Rheumatology (BSR) to develop and disseminate an Expert Practice Guide to define and standardise the role. This Expert Practice Guide is endorsed by the RPS and BSR (critical partners to gain credibility, exposure and impact), is published on the BSR website and has enabled these professional bodies to provide support to SRPs. Launched at an RPS-accredited meeting in 2015 to 32 SRPs (target was 25), it has already had an impact on patient services. The document has influenced the recruitment of an SRP in Chester, whose support has enabled nursing staff to see an additional 8-10 patients in clinic per week. Additionally, it has enabled a working group member to gain RPS Faculty Membership and has provided a framework for the personal development of two SRPs in Bolton.
Judges’ comments
This work gained good insights before utilising them for the development of guidance that was used to justify additional pharmacy resources, in turn freeing up nurses to spend more time with their patients. In doing so it produced impressive results on a local scale.
