Following your instincts is an important life lesson

Go with your gut instinct and don’t fear fear! This is one of the ways that Tessa Beale approaches her life.

It’s World Pharmacist Day, and we cast the spotlight on one of our amazing Senior Pharmacists who works at one of many of our Community and Oral Health facilities.

“I work at Brighton Health Campus supporting patients needing that extra bit of time to recover from an acute condition or injury following a hospital admission,” Tessa said.

“I love the lifestyle and work balance at Brighton Health Campus. I like the location as we are close to the beach.

“It is a very calming place for our patients and staff with the views here of the sea.”

The Brighton Health Campus is home to a diverse range of community, home and bedded rehabilitation services for patients who need a little bit extra time to recover, obtain rehabilitation therapy or need space to transition back home or to a nursing home.

“I love my role as a pharmacist due to the team I work with – from the top down,” Tessa said.

“The team is like a family, and the atmosphere is something special – something which is very hard to get in a larger hospital.

“As a pharmacist, I aim to safely transition the care and medication management of a patient from the acute setting to the home.”

The Brighton Health campus has a number of specialised services which provide a safe alternative to hospital treatment.

The campus includes a residential aged care service, community-based, home visiting and bedded rehabilitation services, and transitional bedded and community-based services for people returning home, entering a nursing home or who have experienced a brain injury or severe injury.

“In recent years, there have been such a significant growth in the importance that pharmacists play in the community and home care setting,” Tessa said.

“This is making such a big difference to the health and wellbeing of our patients and to hospital patients returning home safely and being able to live independently.”

It is very apt that this year’s World Pharmacist Day is also focused on how the profession is strengthening the health system following COVID-19.

At Community and Oral Health this is clearly the case, with our growing pharmacy team significantly enhancing the care we provide and our ability to keep our patient safe through better medication management.

In the past few years, Community and Oral Health services has expanded to include 35 pharmacists working across home and bedded services. The most recent additions to this team have included pharmacists in the Diabetes Service and Home Hospital.

To find out more about Brighton Health Campus and community-based services please visit Community and Oral Health.