Dr Neena Lakhani

Job: Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice

Faculty: Health and Life Sciences

School/department: Leicester School of Pharmacy

Address: De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH.

T: +44 (0)116 207 8279

E: nlakhani@dmu.ac.uk

W: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/hls

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Personal profile

Neena Lakhani is a qualified pharmacist and registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council UK and a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society). She is a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice at De Montfort University, Leicester.

Neena is the Inter-professional Education (IPE) Lead for the undergraduate pharmacy programme (Master in Pharmacy). She is also a practising pharmacist and a pharmacy research champion for the NIHR CRN East Midlands, a member of the Local Pharmacy Network for NHSE East Midlands, Centre for the Advancement if Interprofessional Education (CAIPE) and Primary Care Pharmacy Association (PCPA). Her research expertise includes adopting qualitative methodologies to explore service users’ perspectives to medicines adherence, including cultural influences in minority ethnic communities.

Neena leads on the research, development and delivery of Interprofessional Education initiatives for the Leicester School of Pharmacy (DMU). Her latest research includes studying the impact of inter-professional education for pharmacy and medical students in the primary care setting. Her other research interests include the role of community pharmacists for the management of both minor conditions and long-term respiratory conditions in the South Asian population.

Neena has worked with Primary care organisations, NHS trusts and agencies in the development, delivery and evaluation/audit of pharmacy practice services within community pharmacy. She has developed and led on the Pharmacy First Minor Ailments Scheme for NHS Leicester City. Her background practice experience includes working in hospital pharmacy, community pharmacy and primary care. She is a former Chair and member of the Leicestershire and Rutland Pharmaceutical Committee.

Research group affiliations

Leicester Institute of Pharmaceutical Innovation for Integrated Care (LIPIIC)

Publications and outputs

Interprofessional Learning on Polypharmacy
dc.title: Interprofessional Learning on Polypharmacy dc.contributor.author: Lakhani, Neena; Anderson, E. dc.description.abstract: Prescribing errors remain a continuing patient safety concern. Eradicating error in prescribing requires closer working between doctors and pharmacists. We report on interprofessional learning for medical and pharmacy students on complex polypharmacy in older people. This short course enables final‐year students to work with in‐patients to meticulously assess the completeness and accuracy of their prescriptions. The learning theory applied is experiential learning and reflection.
The Leicester Hospital and De Montfort University Clinical Pharmacy Internship programme for Chinese Pharmacists
dc.title: The Leicester Hospital and De Montfort University Clinical Pharmacy Internship programme for Chinese Pharmacists dc.contributor.author: Aboo, A.; Goodyer, S.; Murphy, Anna C.; Goodyer, Larry; Lakhani, Neena
An exploration of factors affecting the use of community pharmacy services by South Asians in Leicester
dc.title: An exploration of factors affecting the use of community pharmacy services by South Asians in Leicester dc.contributor.author: Lakhani, Neena dc.description.abstract: Understanding the philosophy of a different culture and integrating this understanding into the provision of pharmaceutical care is challenging and complex. This thesis argues the importance for community pharmacists to acknowledge that culture, religion, family and community dynamics can impact on patients’ health, health seeking behaviour and medicines adherence. The perceptions of members of the South Asian population, general practitioners, and community pharmacists about how these factors are viewed in relation to community pharmacy services were explored in this study. It was conducted in Leicester City, which has a South Asian minority ethnic population of more than 25%. Participants’ views of the role of extended community pharmacy services in the wider government agenda were explored. South Asians attitudes to healthcare, self care and the management of minor ailments were discussed. A qualitative methodology approach was adopted, which used constructivist and interpretive principles. Data collection for the study was conducted in two phases. In Phase 1, one to one semi-structured interviews were conducted separately with six local GPs and five community pharmacists from both ‘white’ (European) and South Asian backgrounds. In Phase 2, six gender specific focus groups were convened comprising of fifty five participants in total from the Sikh, Moslem and Hindu communities. Bi-lingual community workers were used in this study which allowed a more ‘sensitive’ exploration of the sociological aspects of health seeking behaviour and the impact of ‘cultural’ influences on medicines adherence. The need for ‘cultural competence’ of community pharmacists is discussed as one of the major contributions to the evidence base for pharmacy practice. Such initiatives would require pharmacists to acquire more effective consultation skills in the first instance. South Asians expressed views that community pharmacists need to be more knowledgeable, responsive and flexible in their professional practice by assessing their pharmaceutical needs and being aware of particular cultural sensitivities when planning their services in line with the new pharmaceutical contract. More specifically, South Asian participants illustrated the need for community pharmacists and their staff to be more ‘culturally knowledgeable’ about the communities in which they practice. It is argued that the provision of a more culturally sensitive and pro-active service is needed to develop a better patient-practitioner professional relationship that promotes trust. South Asians illustrated how certain behavioural, religious and cultural beliefs impact on medicines adherence, such as compliance issues whilst on holiday to their homeland, the impact of religious pilgrimage and fasts. Many South Asian participants had limited understanding about ‘generic’ medicines and considered these to be ‘inferior’ or ‘less effective’ than ‘branded’ medication. Participants’ views of ‘sharing’ of medicines and medicines waste were also illustrated. Factors such as ‘stress’, ‘fate’ and ‘karma’ and their impact on health of the participants were discussed. Many of these factors could not be solely attributable to a South Asian ‘culture’. However, the findings illustrate a need for a Medicines Use Review (MUR) service to include more ‘targeted’ exploration of medicines adherence and medicines optimisation for this population. The findings also highlighted why South Asians rarely consult the community pharmacist about sensitive or stigmatised issues such as depression, and how some conditions and symptoms were perceived to have negative impact on the ‘social acceptance’ of South Asian individuals within their own communities. South Asians suggested that community pharmacists needed to be more pro-active and ‘responsive’ to their pharmaceutical needs and respect confidentiality through use of private consultation areas for routine counselling, health promotion and medicines information. All participants endorsed a need for more ‘professional’ recognition of the pharmacist not only as an autonomous health care professional, but as one integral to providing NHS services relating to medicines and public health. The findings illustrated a lack of professional collaboration between community pharmacists and GPs, confounded by community pharmacists being ‘subordinate’ to GPs and portraying more of a ‘shopkeeper’ image. South Asians were well informed about the lack of shared medical records and relied heavily on a doctor’s definitive ‘diagnosis’ for somatic symptoms related common ailments. South Asians pro-actively engaged with ‘community action’ based approaches in health education and health promotion, and an opportunity for community pharmacists to become more involved with social initiatives was inferred from the findings. Candid and animated discussions explored their understanding of exercise as part of weight management and their interpretation of effects of the use of herbal products, alternative practitioners and the importance of collaboration with religious and community leaders in promoting medicines adherence. Participants desired alternative communication methods other than leaflets (translated or otherwise), including the use of audio-visual means and use of media. Communication difficulties were still prevalent, and trained interpreters were rarely used. By embracing some of these challenges, community pharmacists could enhance the value of their services and provide a more meaningful, ‘culturally’ competent and responsive services based on the needs of their local populations and nurture a better trusting and professional relationship with their service users and healthcare colleagues.
E-learning for interprofessional education (IPE) : a challenging option
dc.title: E-learning for interprofessional education (IPE) : a challenging option dc.contributor.author: Williams, Jacqui; Lakhani, Neena dc.description.abstract: Short report

View a full listing of Neena Lakhani's publications and outputs.

Key research outputs

PhD thesis ‘An exploration of Factors affecting the use of community pharmacy services by South Asians in Leicester’.

Research interests/expertise

Community pharmacy practice: project development

Management of minor ailments in ethnic populations and diverse communities

Public Health: Pharmacy initiatives

Interprofessional education

Prevention and management of Infectious diseases

Respiratory health in BME

Qualitative research methodologies

Areas of teaching

Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice

Interprofessional Education

Qualifications

BPharm(Hons); MSc; DipHospPharm; PhD, SFHEA, MRPharmS

Courses taught

Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Interprofessional Education

Honours and awards

BPharm: upper second (June 1979)

MRPharmS (June 1980)

MSc: distinction (June 1981)

DipHospPharm (June 1995)

PhD (Feb 2012)

SFHEA (June 2017)

Membership of external committees

Faculty Research Ethics Committee (FREC) DMU from 2007- Current: Member

Steering committee for Faculty Inter-professional Education, DMU Faculty of Health and Life Sciences from 2005 - Current: Member

Membership of professional associations and societies

General Pharmaceutical Council
No 2026015 Sept 1980- Current Member

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of GB
No 73436 Sept 1980- Current Member

South Asian Health Foundation (SAHF) Sept 2014 - Current Member

Local Pharmaceutical Network (LPN) April 2015 - Current Member

UK Public Health Association (UKPHA) Special Interest Group Jan 2007 - Current Member

Primary Care Pharmacists Association (PCPA) June 2017- Current Member

Centre for Advancement of Interprofessional Education, UK (CAIPE) June 2010 - Current Member

Leicestershire and Rutland Pharmaceutical Committee May 2013-May 2016 Chair

RPSGB Local Branch Committee October 2007-October 2011 Member

Leicestershire and Rutland Pharmaceutical Committee May 2008-April 2018 Member

Professional licences and certificates

Member of the General Pharmaceutical Council UK

Member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society UK

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)

Projects

The impact of a clinical placement programme for pharmacy students in primary care (funded by HEEM) Evaluation with General Practice. June 2018 (ongoing): Evaluation

The management of Gout in Primary Care Evaluation with General Practice and UHL July 2018-ongoing: Evaluation

IPE Medicines Optimisation in Primary Care Evaluation (with UoL) April 2017-ongoing: Evaluation

South Asian Respiratory Intervention (SARIs). RIF funded project-grant of 11K at DMU (in collaboration with Anna Prof Murphy, Glenfield Hospital and Professor Monica Lakhanpaul, UCL and Fellow of NICE) June 2015-ongoing: Research

IPE Polypharmacy in Hospital Evaluation (with UoL)-Nov 2015-Nov 2016: Evaluation

The Management of Interventions in Asthma (MIA study) Data collection with Professor Monica Lakhanpaul, UCL and Fellow of NICE) Jan 201-June 2014: NIHR Research

South Asians’ perspectives of community pharmacists as health care advisors for minor ailments PhD Research project October 2003-October 2010: Research

Researcher for evaluation of Minor Ailments Scheme Leicester City CCG (in collaboration with Leicester City PCT) Jan 2011- Nov 2011: Research

Inter-professional education E-learning project stroke and diabetes (in collaboration with Northampton University and the BDRA, UoL): October 2007- July 2008 Education development

‘Endocul’ endometriosis project: http://www.endocul.co.uk/ Research project led by Prof Lorraine Culley DMU and the University of Birmingham City. Feb 2008-June 2008: Research

Consultancy work

Screening of migrants for Blood Borne Viruses (BBV) NIHR Consultancy and Collaboration UHL and UoL: May 2017 - ongoing

Community/Primary Care Pharmacy Research Champion Consultant with CRN NIHR, East Midlands: April 2014 - Current

SIMPLE COPD and SIMPLE Asthma and COPD studies-interventions in community pharmacy. Consultancy and Collaboration with Dr Anna Murphy, consultant pharmacist, Glenfield Hospital: June 2010 - June 2011

Externally funded research grants information

Research Grant application: The Management of Interventions in Asthmatic children of South Asian origin: follow up study (MIA) UCL London Professor Monica Lakhanpaul Jan 2011- Jan 2012 NIHR Grant

Research Grant application: A pilot of an inter-professional medicine review process for improving the care planning of older people DMU and UoL-Professor Stephen Wood May 201 -Jan 2016 NIHR and Wellcome Foundation

Grant award: Pharmacy First: Minor Ailments Scheme Enhanced Service for NHS Leicester City CCG Jan 2008- Nov 2008 CCG consultancy grant 55K

Grant award: Consultant Practice Pharmacist Evington Road Medical Centre Jan 2010- Jan 2011:CCG internal grant 55K

Professional esteem indicators

Journal of Inter-Professional Care (guest reviewer).

Case studies

De Montfort University

1. Neena has recently expanded IPE events for Pharmacy students. These involve future health professionals learning from, with and about each other. They are often joined by students from other HLS courses, medical students from the University of Leicester and professional practitioners. The General Pharmaceutical Council has commended this as a beacon of good teaching practice.

2. Neena and the Pharmacy Practice team have developed a programme, in collaboration with the University of Leicester and GP Practices, which gives final-year Pharmacy students the opportunity to work with medical students at GP practices. It’s part of a “timely and thought-provoking” scheme that is being expanded after a successful pilot phase.

University of Leicester

3. Leicester universities work with GPs to put interprofessional care on the curriculum