David Jones

David has been part of the Medbelle team since March 2018. His background as a clinical pharmacist in orthopaedics and his dedication to providing patients with the highest quality knowledge is key to his work as an author.

	Medbelle position	Medical Quality Officer
	Titles	MPharm

Profile

After working as a clinical pharmacist in one of the largest university teaching hospital trusts in the UK, David wanted to have an impact in a different healthcare setting. Being drawn to the ambitious mission of improving the standards of healthcare, David joined Medbelle in 2018. Using his background and knowledge, he has his footprint on many different parts of the company, with the biggest impact on patient care. Alongside his role as an author, David provides medical training and guidance to the team, so patients have access to treatment information over the phone as well as written.

Responsibilities

Writing high-quality medical content and treatment information for patients to have a sound understanding of their procedure
Training the patient care team to answer questions and provide robust information to patients
Working cross-departmentally to ensure the accuracy and quality of medical information within Medbelle and with our partners is upheld

David in his own words

What motivated you to join Medbelle and the healthcare industry in general?

Joining healthcare seemed like the obvious choice back in school. I was really passionate and excited about organic chemistry and biochemistry. I always enjoyed it on a theoretical and lab level but I wanted to be able to use the knowledge in a way that could impact people’s lives. Out of all the professions, pharmacy combined it all. After years working in a hospital, I wanted a new challenge and a different environment to use my knowledge and skills. Medbelle is changing how we can provide healthcare to patients and the focus on value-based healthcare is particularly exciting, I wanted to join a health team that wants to disrupt the industry in a positive way that really benefits patients.

Your best memory with a patient

It's hard to narrow down my best memory but a particular patient stands out and sums up why I really enjoyed working in clinical pharmacy.
When I was working in respiratory medicine, a very complex patient with various immunological disorders came onto the ward for treatment of pneumonia. As she was on many specialist medications I was heavily involved in creating her new treatment plan. Her condition was so rare and complex that very few of the medical team understood it and I spent an hour researching her conditions to understand how it would interact with our care of her.

This patient stood out because in order to really help her I had to utilise many of the skills and knowledge that I had learnt over the years; pharmacology, physiology, communication and much more. The plan created for her was grounded in evidence-based medicine and tailored for her. It was helping complex patients like her that would make all the work and study worthwhile.

If there was one thing you wish everyone knew.

Healthcare professionals are human. I feel that so often in the NHS, the public hold the staff up to hero status when they are just as liable to burn out and making mistakes as everyone else. It's important to respect and have patience for healthcare teams.

One piece of advice you would give patients looking into surgery

Make sure you trust your surgeon and provider completely. If you are unsure about anything, you need to feel comfortable to voice your opinion and know that you will be heard. If you do not, then look around. Having the right team for your surgery is more important than anything else.

Education

David was always interested in healthcare and chose to study for a master's degree in pharmacy. During this time he also trained to be a First Aider and Duty Officer, leading teams of First Aiders at events. Following his pre-registration year of training after his degree, he continues his Continual Professional Development to ensure he is fully up to date with the latest medical knowledge.

General Pharmaceutical Council, GPhC registered, 2015
MPharm (Master of Pharmacy) 2014, University of Nottingham, UK
First Aider and Duty Officer, St. John Ambulance, 2012

Work Experience

David qualified as a pharmacist in 2015; and worked as a clinical pharmacist in a major tertiary hospital (Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust) with experience in post-op major trauma, renal transplant and respiratory medicine. David also had a rotation in elective hip and knee replacement in Trafford General Hospital.

Following on from his years working as a clinical pharmacist, David was ready for a new challenge. Medbelle's mission to raise the standard of healthcare really resonated with him and was the perfect opportunity to combine the skills and experience he already had with the chance to learn and develop in new areas too. Healthcare is very much part of David's DNA and knowing that he is making a difference in patients' lives each and every day gets him out of bed in the morning.