World Pharmacists Day Spotlight – Sundeep Jassal

As we round off our World Pharmacists Day Q&As today, we’re spotlighting Sundeep Jassal, Practice Pharmacist and Prescribing Lead for Brooklands Health Centre.

In this article, Sunny talks about his role, why he's passionate about pharmacology and pharmacodynamics and the story behind his career journey.

As the Practice Pharmacist and Prescribing Lead for Brooklands Health Centre, my role focuses on strategically embedding clinical governance and promoting patient safety. I also act as a central point for clinical safety by updating all OMG sites on national medication safety alerts and shortages.

During my high school summer job as a pharmacy counter assistant, I gained valuable insight into the role of a pharmacist in patient care and safety. This experience, combined with my passion for chemistry, forged my path to a career in pharmacy.

After achieving my Master of Pharmacy and my pre-registration year at Whittington Hospital, I completed several specialist rotations at Northwick Park Hospital. These included Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (providing dose-adjustment advice for primary and secondary care doctors based on plasma levels of high-risk medications), Coronary Care Unit, Stroke Unit, Aseptics (manufacturing parenteral nutrition and chemotherapy), and Regional Medicines Information Centre (answering complex enquiries and critically appraising clinical studies for consultants across North-West London). During this period, I completed a postgraduate diploma with UCL and subsequently moved on to manage a large team as the Lead Surgical Pharmacist. I then transitioned to primary care after qualifying as a clinically enhanced independent prescriber. I brought over a wealth of secondary care experience and perspective, allowing me to focus on and improve medication and patient safety at Brooklands Health Centre.

As a newly qualified pharmacist, I remember a geriatric consultant and his team being puzzled as to why an older patient developed severe hypertension following a routine hip replacement. The team were planning to start a cocktail of medications, but after completing a medicines reconciliation, I identified the cause: an abrupt withdrawal of clonidine (a medication that can cause rebound hypertension if stopped suddenly). The medical and surgical teams greatly appreciated my knowledge of pharmacology and my contribution towards this patient's care.

As someone who has loved science since childhood, it is deeply rewarding to be able to use my knowledge of pharmacology and pharmacodynamics to make meaningful clinical interventions for patients.

We are one of the biggest safety nets for resident doctors in hospitals.

Start your career in secondary care, as this will expose you to various clinical areas and help you find your niche.