Helen Williams *

Seminar Title: 

Affiliation: 

Southwark CCG and Health Innovation Network, South London

Country: 

United Kingdom

1. Current Status, Position

Ms Helen Williams (BSc in Pharmacy, PG Diploma in Cardiology) is currently a Consultant Pharmacist for Cardiovascular Disease and Clinical Director for Atrial Fibrillation.

2. Education

Ms Helen Williams qualified in 1994 and spent 15 years working in hospital pharmacy, specialising in cardiology. She has undertaken two postgraduate diplomas, one in Pharmacy Practice (1997) and one in Cardiology (2002). Helen Williams qualified as an independnet prescriber in 2007 and has worked as a prescriber in a number of clinical areas including heart failure, hypertension and ischeamic heart disease.

3. Research Area

Ms Helen Williams is involved in a wide range of activities across South London to improve the care of patients with or at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). She chairs the local cardiovascular medicines working group which develops and supports the implementation of consensus evidence-based guidance for use across South London's 12 clinical commissioning groups and 7 acute trusts, covering a population of 2.8million. Currently, there is a strong focus on medicines optimisation in primary care for long term conditions such as heart failure, hypertension and atrial fibrillation with the aim of reducing the burden of acute hospital admissions. Helen Williams has been involved in supporting primary care practitioners through guideline implementation, clinical audit and provision of pharmacist-led virtual clinics.

4. Conflict of interest: Ms Helen Williams receives speaker fees from Bayer and Pfizer.