23/09/2024
COCO’s pharmacy team are based in one of the three practices that make up COCO primary care network – Chertsey, Ottershaw and Crouch Oak – they are integrated into the practice pharmacy team. Each individual pharmacist has their own clinical area of expertise and as part of the general practice team, they work directly with patients and manage queries which has led to a high level of satisfaction amongst patients.
Many pharmacists are now being trained to prescribe medication (within the area of their competencies). This supports the clinicians in practice when issuing medication.
Kim’s background is in the community, she started out at Boots; and has been working for COCO for the last 2.5 years. Kim’s areas of expertise are high blood pressure and cholesterol, this is important when reducing a patient’s risk of a heart attack. Laura has worked in London-based hospitals and at St Peter’s Hospital for many years before joining general practice in 2022. Her area of expertise is heart failure, which is becoming more common as we live longer.
Their day-to-day work involves managing patient queries from the GP reception team, the practice pharmacy clerks and pharmacy technicians. This can be anything from patients struggling to access medication, side-effects of drugs and looking at the medication when a patient is discharged from hospital. They have daily contact with the GPs, supporting them in the hundreds of prescriptions the practices receive daily. They will also ensure that all the routine monitoring like blood tests and blood pressures are up to date. They undertake audit and project work around safety and medication reviews.
They both love the breadth of their roles at the GP practice, as well as being part of a large multidisciplinary team. They also have excellent relationships with the local community pharmacies.
In essence, this allows them to be more proactive and holistic in looking after patients, so the patients receive a high standard of care when it comes to managing their prescriptions.
