Facilitator biographies

Learn more about the EBM summit facilitators.

Name	Biog
Kate Arnold	Kate graduated from the University of Nottingham, and spent a number of years in Community Pharmacy before taking time out to raise her family and consider an alternative career. She returned to community pharmacy in the late 90s and subsequently took the risk of a fixed term contract with Solihull Health Authority as a primary care prescribing adviser. Nine years later she is still there, although the organization, and her role within it, has experienced multiple changes. Kate has been an NPC trainer since 2003, initially leading workshops for non-medical prescribers, and subsequently for primary care pharmacists and multidisciplinary audiences. Since 2007 she has been the NPC Local Therapeutics Facilitator for the West Midlands.
Nigel Barnes	Nigel Barnes is Director of Pharmacy and Medicines Management at Birmingham & Solihull Mental Health Trust. Prior to taking up post, he was Programme Consultant for Medicines Management at NHS West Midlands, leading on all aspects of pharmacy, prescribing and medicines management. Formerly he was Assistant Director for Clinical Effectiveness for Birmingham and the Black Country SHA. As well as leading on medicines management he acted as lead for clinical governance within the SHA. Prior to joining the SHA, he was Senior Pharmaceutical Adviser in Walsall for 11 years He also works as a flexible therapeutics tutor for the NPC and teaches on the community pharmacy programme at Keele University.
Narinder Bhalla	Narinder studied pharmacy at De Montefort University, Leicester and after a short stint in community pharmacy worked as a basic grade at the Lister Hospital, Stevenage and then as a Resident Pharmacist at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge. He then went onto work as a Formulary Pharmacist at Addenbrooke's before spending 3 year working as a pharmaceutical advisor to various primary care trusts in Hertfordshire. He returned to Addenbrooke's in 2002 to take up the post of Lead Pharmacist - Clinical Governance. Narinder has also undertaken a post-graduate MSc and since 2005 has combined his hospital post with a post as Teacher Practitioner at the University of Hertfordshire, School of Pharmacy and as an NPC Plus trainer
Tim Donaldson	Tim studied Pharmacy at Bath. After beginning his professional career in the pharmaceutical industry he undertook NHS hospital pharmacy training positions in Manchester and Bristol. He subsequently managed the medicines information centre at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle Upon Tyne and was a clinical pharmacist within the cardiopulmonary transplant service. He later managed the regional MI centre, undertook a part-time secondment as a pharmaceutical adviser at Newcastle PCT and became an NPC Training Adviser. In 2004 he became Head of Pharmacy Clinical Governance for Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Trust. He is also an NPC Local Therapeutics Facilitator for North East England and part-time NPCi author. In 2008 Tim gained a 2-year Leadership Fellows award from the Health Foundation.
Magnus Hird	Magnus studied Pharmacy at Nottingham and after a pre-registration year and time as a community pharmacist with Boots he joined Blackpool Primary Care Group to advise on prescribing matters. This role included work at the local general hospital. He became a trainer with the NPC in 2004 and is also an author for some of their materials. His current role is as a pharmacist practitioner in a general practice in Blackpool, seeing patients for management of long-term and acute health problems. As an independent prescriber he also works in the out-of-hours setting and undertakes occasional consultancy work for bodies such as the Royal College of General Practitioners and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Helen Marlow	Helen qualified as a pharmacist in 1987 and obtained a Diploma in Clinical Pharmacy in 1990. She worked as a hospital pharmacist until 1993 when she became a primary care prescribing adviser in Croydon, South London. In October 2002 she set up her own independent consultancy company working with a variety of healthcare and NHS organisations, including a number of PCTs and the strategic health authority in London. Helen has worked for the National Prescribing Centre as a Trainer in therapeutics since May 2000, and is an external lecturer at Kings College, University of London working on their non-medical prescribing course.
Sue Smith	Sue studied Pharmacy at The London School of Pharmacy. She worked as a community pharmacist for many years and started working independently with GP practices on prescribing advisory matters in 1995. In 1999 she moved permanently into primary care pharmacy working initially as a prescribing adviser in Wellingborough and later as the Senior Pharmacist for Northamptonshire PCT. She became a National Prescribing Centre trainer in 2004.

Curriculum Vitae: Mr Martin Stephens

MSc (Health Economics and Management) Sheffield 2000

Certificate in Health Economics, Aberdeen 1995

College of Pharmacy Practice entry by examination 1986

M.R.PharmS 1980

B.Pharm (2.1), Nottingham 1979

Clinical Leadership Programme (CLAWPS) 2002

Senior Pharmacy Managers Training Course, Morpeth 1989-90

Clinical Pharmacokinetics Course, Aston University/West Midlands Region 1987

West Midland Regional Clinical Pharmacy Course 1981-3

Current Post

National Clinical Director for Hospital Pharmacy (Department of Health), Associate Medical Director, Clinical Effectiveness and Medicines Management (Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust)

The national role is a three-year secondment to provide authoritative clinical leadership in supporting delivery of the pharmacy white paper. It commenced December 2008. The AMD remmains as substative details below, incorporating 0.2 medicines role into a 0.5 post, with 0.5 wte role at DoH.

Substantive post

Divisional Clinical Director, Diagnostics and Therapy / Associate Medical Director, Clinical Effectiveness

Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, c/o Mailpoint 29, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD

Commenced 1st April 2006 - 30th November 2008.

Having been Chief Pharmacist and Clinical Director within the trust I was appointed to these two roles when the Trust moved to a divisional structure. The DCD role takes 0.5wte, the AMD role 0.3wte, with my remaining duties supporting medicines management activities.

The DCD role is, in effect, the lead clinician running a division, supported by a general manager, with clinical and managerial leads in each of the care groups that comprise the division. Clinical radiology, clinical pathology and clinical support (which includes pharmacy) are the three care groups, with facilities also within the division. There is an overall net budget of £72 million and a total workforce of 1360 wte staff. The role is one of leading and shaping the division, ensuring we meet the needs of the other divisions and of the trust. Building and leading a mixed team of healthcare professionals, general managers and specialists (HR, finance) has been a key part of the role; delivering on national targets for diagnostics and supporting other access targets, developing a governance structure, securing additional investment to address risks and ensuring we provide consistently good care have been the main areas of focus.

The AMD role (initially Director of CE) is a post within the Trust’s HQ team, directly accountable to the medical director. Main responsibilities are:

Ensuring we develop and deliver on audit plans, plans consistent with our key priorities (The Patient Improvement Framework)

Ensuring we know our performance on NICE guidance and that we take action to comply

Ensuring we know our performance with respect to National Confidential Enquiries and that we take action to comply with recommendations

Developing standards for morbidity and mortality meetings and ensuring these are implementing

Leading on clinical-effectiveness reviews as required

My continuing medicines management responsibilities include chairing the District Prescribing Committee, and managing the Trust’s Drug Finance group in support of the Chief Pharmacist. Within my AMD role I have also chaired a working group to improve our compliance with risk assessment for venous thromboembolism and provision of prophylactic measures.

I remain a Visiting Principal Lecturer at Portsmouth University’s School of Pharmacy, with a limited direct contact time each year.

Previous Employment

Chief Pharmacist, Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 10.11.97 - 31.3.06

and jointly Clinical Service Director for Clinical Support 1.9.98 - 31.3.06

This combined post saw me heading the pharmacy team and as clinical lead for the wider care group (including therapies and medical physics), this broader care group responsibility was the equivalent of around 0.2wte.

As Chief Pharmacist I led on medicines management for the trust – with strong safety and financial control themes. I built a strong senior pharmacy management team who brought innovation and expertise. In 2006 I developed the case for our Anti-infectives Consultant Pharmacist, which was filled from early 2007. This was our second consultant post and has contributed greatly to the Trust’s progress on antibiotic stewardship.

During the 8 or so years at Southampton I encouraged practice research, the role of the technician in medicines management, a focus on the needs of the patient and a disciplined approach to new drug entry (evidence based and with funding streams set aside). Throughout the period I have been committed to partnership working with local primary care organisations and this has helped ensure a collaborative approach. Significant improvements were made in our aseptic dispensing services, with capital sourced from within the Trust. The Wessex medicines information centre has flourished, I oversaw the transition from the founder lead pharmacist to the current postholder. In 2005-6 the business case for a robotic dispensing-stock issue system was agreed, the robot became operational after my DCD appointment (2007).

Facilitator biographies

Curriculum Vitae: Mr Martin Stephens

Current Post

National Clinical Director for Hospital Pharmacy (Department of Health), Associate Medical Director, Clinical Effectiveness and Medicines Management (Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust)

Substantive post

Divisional Clinical Director, Diagnostics and Therapy / Associate Medical Director, Clinical Effectiveness

Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, c/o Mailpoint 29, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD

Commenced 1st April 2006 - 30th November 2008.

Previous Employment

Chief Pharmacist, Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 10.11.97 - 31.3.06

Other Posts

eZ debug

Timing points:

Time accumulators:

Templates used to render the page:

Facilitator biographies

Curriculum Vitae: Mr Martin Stephens

Current Post

National Clinical Director for Hospital Pharmacy (Department of Health), Associate Medical Director, Clinical Effectiveness and Medicines Management (Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust)

Substantive post

Divisional Clinical Director, Diagnostics and Therapy / Associate Medical Director, Clinical Effectiveness

Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust, c/o Mailpoint 29, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton SO16 6YD

Commenced 1st April 2006 - 30th November 2008.

Previous Employment

Chief Pharmacist, Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust 10.11.97 - 31.3.06

Other Posts

eZ debug

Clear cache:

Quick settings:

Timing points:

Time accumulators:

Templates used to render the page: