Day in the life of Argyll’s lead pharmacist Sandra
Over the coming year The Oban Times is running a series of fortnightly articles championing the work carried out by Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) in the Oban, Lorn and the Isles locality.
Each article will feature a specific service provided by the HSCP and will focus on the staff who provide that service and the role they play in making a positive difference for the people living in Oban and surrounding areas.
This week we look at the work of the the lead pharmacist for Argyll, Sandra Melville.
SANDRA Melville is Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership’s lead pharmacist based in Lorn and Islands Hospital in Oban.
In 1998, after several years’ experience in community pharmacy, Sandra saw the opportunity to develop pharmacy services in the newly opened hospital in Oban. Since thens she has built a comprehensive service which includes the pharmacist/nurse-led chemotherapy unit.
Sandra’s role as lead pharmacist is an integral clinical part of Oban HSCP healthcare teams. On a daily basis, she works with doctors, nurses and other members of multi-disciplinary teams with her priority always being patients.
She is a prescriber of chemotherapy, which is beneficial to cancer patients, allowing many to be treated at the hospital rather than travelling to Glasgow. She also advises on a selection of medicines, dosage and administration.
Sandra gives professional specialist advice and checks the compatibility of medications for inpatients, closely monitoring potential side-effects and interactions to ensure that patients prescribed medications are effective.
She is a familiar and welcome face during daily inpatient ward rounds. She checks patient drug charts, and if a patient has been newly admitted, she checks their notes to see why they have been admitted and to gain more understanding about the patient’s medical history and medication requirements. This involves close working relationships with local medical practices and other primary care pharmacies.
She assesses individual patients to help them select the most appropriate therapy, taking account of factors including their existing medication, health history, lifestyle and their capacity to understand and follow suitable treatment and care plans.
Sandra loves working and living in Oban. She was attracted to Oban by the wonderful rural lifestyle and feels fortunate to live in such a strong spirited community where people genuinely care about each other.
Sandra has no problem balancing work and the many outdoor leisure activities she enjoys.
She is a keen sailor, enjoys wild swimming and skiing on the nearby Scottish slopes.