The unlikely pharmacist

Pharmacist Shahbaz Ashraf is at the forefront of a digital revolution in mental health medicines.

He tells of his unconventional career path and how data is the key to improving our health and our lives.

"Im not how you’d imagine a pharmacist, I don’t wear a white coat or dispense medicine over the counter. As a digital pharmacist, I look after computer systems and medicines data to offer every patient the safest and most effective combination for them. It’s a complex puzzle and pharmacists are the experts in solving it.

I came into pharmacy late – I was 33. Although I had a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry, I couldn’t see myself in a lab, so I went into property development. It was fun but a bit volatile! When the markets crashed, I worked in a busy call centre – it wasn’t my calling, but it taught me to connect and build rapport.

“My first exposure to mental health care came through my mum.She had a psychotic episode 18 years ago and changed overnight - she was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

When the medicines kicked in, I got my bubbly, chatty mum back for a while but I saw there were side effects. I became curious about the effects of medications, so much so that I went back to university and studied pharmacy.

My placement in a mental health hospital confirmed what I thought - this was where my future lay. I’m nosy, in my early jobs I’d ask questions and gate crash management meetings to find out more!

People can be overburdened by medicines that may not even be needed. I once saw a lady who took more than 28 drugs a day. She was sluggish and kept falling. I analysed and reviewed her prescription, taking out medicines she didn’t need that were causing problems. She became more animated and stopped falling – it was like watching a different person.

I realised data was key to giving us insights to how drugs work and improve health. In recent years there’s been an explosion in prescribing data. At Mersey Care we hold more than 200 million medicines administration records. Through our major research programme M-RIC and other initiatives, data is now seen as the key to making massive improvements in patient care. It’s an exciting time for us and for patients.

I love the crossroads of computers, data science and pharmacy and I feel privileged to be part of this future."

To find out more about how you could be part of the future of the NHS visit Working for us :: Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust