Prescribing facilitators' friendly pharmacist project

This project links FY1 trainees to a named clinical pharmacist who provides medicines support and individualised prescribing feedback throughout the FY1 year. A number of health trusts have trialled feedback systems for prescribers with regard to prescribing issues. These have included medicines update bulletins, ad hoc pharmacy feedback and teaching sessions. However, as far as we are aware, our initiative is the first of its kind to provide individualised feedback and support to prescribers by linking pharmacists and FY1 doctors on a formal basis.

The project aims to reduce medication-related errors at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust, thus enhancing patient safety and the safe and effective use of medications. It also aims to improve multi-disciplinary team (MDT) collaboration and learning.

F1 trainee doctors are linked to a clinical pharmacist prior to starting their training year. At induction, FY1s undertake a baseline prescribing assessment, the results of which are then fed back to the FY1 group as a whole. Individual results are then fed back to the FY1’s allocated pharmacist, who arranges to meet their FY1 during their first clinical rotation to talk through any areas of concern or equally, areas of good practice, identified during their initial assessment. Pharmacists and FY1s are encouraged to meet once during each of the FY1 trainees three clinical rotations, to discuss prescribing issues, areas of concern and to answer any medicines-related questions. Following each meeting, pharmacists and FY1s are asked to each complete an online survey evaluating various areas of the project. Pharmacists are also available on the ward or via phone and email to answer any questions their allocated FY1 may have.

There were 31 first rotation meetings in the first cycle and 90 per cent of pharmacists and 100 per cent of FY1s surveyed felt that the initiative had a positive impact on prescribing competency.

We plan to analyse the results of this year’s intervention audit and compare results to previous years to determine if there has been a reduction in prescribing errors by FY1 doctors since the project introduction.