The winners of the Independent Pharmacy Innovation Award were Martyn and Jackie Lewis of Lewis Pharmacy in Exmouth.

Left to right: Dr Keith Ridge, chief pharmaceutical officer at NHS England, Jackie and Martyn Lewis of Lewis Pharmacy, Nitin Sodha, vice-chairman of award sponsor the NPA

 

The pharmacy’s innovatory work stems principally from a desire to explore how it can best help patients with cancer. This has led to a better knowledge of patients and how best to help them, while exposing communication problems between primary and secondary care. Meanwhile, Jackie Lewis has become the first community pharmacist on the committee of the British Oncology Pharmacists Association.

Lewis Pharmacy has been instrumental in changing an inconsistent hospital discharge process and, as a result, discharge summaries for complex cancer cases are now faxed to pharmacies in Devon by the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital. Because of the discharge project, two members of the hospital’s pharmacy team visit the Lewis pharmacy to see how community pharmacy processes work.

Patients discharged from hospital now receive a booklet describing what support is available in their local pharmacy through medication review and lifestyle advice. The pharmacy has been involved in the development of that book.

Patients at Lewis Pharmacy see a sign on the counter asking them to come forward if they are on cancer-related medication. Those that do so have an in-depth MUR and any potential interactions with current and prescribed medication are identified. The pharmacy seeks to ensure that cancer patients receive the medication they need in a timely manner.

Spreading the word

Working with cancer patients has led to Jackie Lewis contributing to meetings of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s local practice forum and making presentations at the RPS conference, the British Oncology Pharmacists Association conference and the Pharmacy Show.

Lewis pharmacy also offers a weight management service and carers’ health and wellbeing checks as well as minor ailments and emergency supply schemes, along with smoking cessation, EHC, chlamydia screening and flu vaccination. Involvement in the carers project has led to the pharmacy taking part in what it describes as a ground-breaking scheme to explore the potential for lifestyle changes that carers might need.

Presenting the award, Nitin Sodha, vice-chairman of the National Pharmacy Association, said that independents were responsive and fleet of foot, which was one of their great strengths. The winner of the award showed that the best innovation started with the needs of patients.

Mr Sodha said that Mrs Lewis had told him that British Oncology Pharmacists Association had 800 members, of which 799 were from secondary care. She was the first primary care member. Mrs Lewis said that her cancer project had been born out of a desire to see how she could help patients. The pilot phase was now being developed into a full service. National recognition was now coming but financial help was needed to get over the next hurdle.