We caught up with the Pharmacist/Pharmacy Team of the Year Award shortlist ahead of this year’s General Practice Awards ceremony to be held on 6 December at the Novotel London West.

Robin Mullen, senior PCN clinical pharmacist working within the Nottingham City General Practice Alliance, has made a significant impact on patient care through her expertise in cardiovascular and heart failure management.

As a recently qualified independent prescriber, Robin has rapidly expanded her scope of care, developing and leading a heart failure and cardiovascular clinic at practice level. Her patient-centred clinic, linked with specialist services, has become a vital part of optimising cardiovascular outcomes, particularly for patients with heart failure and atrial fibrillation.

In addition to her clinical work, Robin leads and mentors a team of six pharmacists and three pharmacy technicians, offering valuable support and ensuring her team consistently delivers high-quality care.

Robin’s leadership has benefited both patients and staff. Heart failure patients who were previously not prioritised despite high prevalence are now receiving comprehensive and holistic 30-minute reviews through her clinic. She has increased patient access to face-to-face appointments, optimised heart failure care, and even organised home visits for housebound patients.

By introducing a new heart failure review template for the clinic, Robin has ensured a high standard of care across her practice. Her approach has also delivered Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) indicators, generating practice income while improving patient care.

The team has benefited from Robin’s regular training sessions, and her clinical expertise has been widely recognised, with invitations to deliver heart failure training across the Nottingham City pharmacy workforce and contribute to Integrated Care System programmes on structured medication reviews.

Robin’s creation of an inclisiran protocol has streamlined review and administration, and her development of a checklist for anticoagulation counselling has facilitated smoother transitions from warfarin to DOACs, reducing the need for frequent venepuncture and improving the quality of life for patients.

Her efforts have significantly improved outcomes. In the past year, the practice achieved 100% of its heart failure QOF targets for the first time. Robin’s clinic also provided early interventions, reducing patient wait times for specialist referrals by an average of 25 days. Her work has improved patient experiences.

Patients report better understanding of their condition and greater confidence in their treatment. One commented: ‘Robin was very nice and was in-depth, explaining everything in a way I could understand with medications and heart disease. I appreciated her time and effort.’

Practice staff have noted how her clinics ‘have been invaluable to not only help patients but to improve our uptake figures’.

Robin herself said she is ‘incredibly proud’ of the work she has done to transform heart failure and cardiovascular care in the practice.

‘Establishing a dedicated, pharmacist-led cardiovascular clinic that centres on patient care and addresses health inequalities has helped bridge key gaps between primary and secondary care,’ she added.

‘Through comprehensive reviews and timely interventions, we’re now reaching patients who previously had limited access to these services. Seeing the impact on patient outcomes, from optimised treatments to reduced waiting times, has been incredibly rewarding.’