Hussein Al Hakem

Lead Divisional Pharmacist – Medicine (WM Site) 

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Biography: Hussein’s role is crucial in ensuring the safe, effective, and efficient use of medications within the Trust. He plays a pivotal role in promoting safe medication practices by implementing policies, procedures, and protocols to minimize medication errors and adverse drug events. Hussein supports the delivery of patient-centred clinical pharmacy services by conducting medication reviews, participating in multidisciplinary team meetings, and providing medication information to other members of the MDT.

His postgraduate education includes a diploma in clinical pharmacy, non-medical prescribing status, and advanced assessment skills for non-medical practitioners. Aside from the role above, he also works with the cardiology team on the heart failure virtual ward, optimising the doses of guideline-directed medical therapies for patients admitted to the heart failure virtual ward.

Horizon Fellowship project summary: The virtual ward has immense potential to revolutionise the way care is delivered to patients. With the support of a telemonitoring service and as part of a multidisciplinary team, Hussein will implement an admission avoidance virtual pharmacist-led clinic to intensively optimize guideline-directed medical therapy following a diagnosis of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

The service will improve and streamline communication between care providers, shorten the long sequential approach associated with medication uptitration, improve just-in-time decision support, and assist in formulating exit strategies at the end of the uptitration period and upon discharge from the virtual ward.

Estimated number of patients / staff impacted by the project: 50–100

Goal(s) for time on the Horizon Fellowship programme: With the support of an innovative digital solution, the fellowship can help further develop this initiative to allow for better and more efficient optimisation of medical therapy . This can be achieved by better integration with the Trust’s existing IT systems and platforms and by enabling seamless communication between care providers.