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Pharmacy evening proves beneficial for community
Media information For immediate release
Date: 27 March 2009
Pharmacy evening proves beneficial for the community
A new liaison pharmacist position at Waikato Hospital has opened many doors already but none as significant as the community pharmacy evening held onsite this week.
Fiona McNabb started as the Waikato District Health Board liaison pharmacist last year, and is providing a link for community pharmacists and primary providers with hospital and secondary services.
The liaison pharmacist position is relatively unique throughout New Zealand, and proving to be well worth its while in the Waikato where DHB pharmacy manager Jan Goddard has pushed for the position for six years.
The latest initiative Mrs McNabb facilitated came in the form of the community pharmacy evening, where about 80 community pharmacists and technicians toured Waikato Hospital's Pharmacy and Baxter's Sterile Manufacturing Suite last night.
"I think the evening went really well and people learned a lot about the way things work at the hospital," said Mrs McNabb.
"Having worked in the community for more than 25 years myself, when I got here [the hospital] I was surprised at how small the pharmacy dispensary is considering the comprehensive range of services provided throughout both Waikato and Thames hospitals.
"I was also surprised by how differently things worked here than I had imagined, so I knew other community pharmacists would have the same reaction."
She said the evening was about informing people, creating a better understanding of how the partnership between community and hospital could work, and in many cases network with old friends, with many of the hospital pharmacy team also coming from community roles as she had.
"There had never been a formal evening session set up before, although there was a forum group with community and DHB pharmacists in the past which was well received, so we knew this evening also be beneficial to the pharmacy community.
"Some pharmacists are very familiar with how to contact doctors and have well established relationships with the hospital team, but many * particularly those working in rural communities * don't, so I hope we at least built some bridges within the pharmacy team on Tuesday night."
Mrs McNabb said she hoped the initial community pharmacy evening would be a springboard to continue with similar events on a regular basis where different specialties and groups could present as professional development.
She has worked in pharmacy for 30 years, 20 of which were in Tairua where she owned a business in partnership for many years.
Mrs McNabb said being on the community side of pharmacy is what attracted her to the liaison role, which has many facets that indirectly and directly create better patient outcomes.
"There is a lot of troubleshooting involved, sorting discharge problems for patients, relationship building in the primary sector, education in the hospital setting, projects and communication," she said.
There are about 80 pharmacies in the Waikato DHB region, which belong to the Waikato Community Pharmacy Group, and 41 staff in the Waikato DHB team making pharmacy a large professional group for the region.
"I think it's fantastic that Waikato DHB has realised sound relationships need to be fostered for the good of service users and patients alike," said Mrs McNabb.
"The organisation has been wholly supportive of last night's event and in pushing for my role of liaison pharmacist."
NB: An image of Fiona McNabb is available for download from the news photo section of Waikato DHB's website www.waikatodhb.govt.nz
ENDS
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
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