Meet the Women of Nuffield Health – Randa Shafieg

Can you tell us about your role at Nuffield Health?

I am a Pharmacist and Medicines Management Lead at Nuffield Health Hospital in Haywards Heath. My role is very varied and involves patient care and medicines management across all departments in the hospital, as well as being involvement in clinical governance and managing the pharmacy department.                                       

I am involved throughout the whole patient journey from the start at pre-assessment by responding to queries regarding medicines to stop/continue before surgery and if patients need any medication changed prior to surgery, then following the patient on the ward managing and optimisation of medicines the patients need on the ward and ensuring safety and efficacy of prescribing via a clinical MDT ward round and reviewing of patient drug charts, then through to discharge by supplying medicines to take home and counselling the patients on both supplied medicines and re-starting continuing of their own medicines.

My clinical role involves ensuring appropriate medicines optimisation through the safe and effective use of medicines throughout the hospital, evaluating options to determine what will best meet health and wellbeing needs of patients, confirming what medicines are required and performing clinical checks. Also to ensure the provision of dispensing and clinical advisory service to staff and patients and medical professionals. I provide a daily ward-based clinical pharmacy service, whereby associated benefits and risks of medicines are explained clearly, and the validity, accuracy, safety, and appropriateness of requests are confirmed.

My leadership role is to lead, motivate and supervise a team of registered and support staff, ensuring regular and effective communications and ensuring that all are provided with opportunities to influence work objectives in a way which inspires commitment and enthusiasm.

What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

International Women’s Day is about celebrating achievements of women: social, cultural, political, even personal ones. A day that honours and celebrates the impressive achievements of women globally. It’s also a day to keep everyone thinking about women’s rights and gender equality and that we need to all keep pushing to get to this.

What do you think is the biggest challenge for women today and what has been your biggest challenge?

The biggest challenge for a woman today I think is the impact of social media and the expectation for women to always have the perfect image in a career as well as meeting her daily roles and juggling a career with a home and family responsibilities. Where we have come a long way in decreasing the gender gap in the workplace, the pressures of maintaining a healthy home whilst succeeding at work is continuing to be a challenge that women face, but still succeed at and this is important to be celebrated and recognised.  

My biggest challenge is the balance between having a successful career and a good personal/social life and looking after my loved ones.

Which woman has inspired you and why?

So many women have inspired me throughout my life; starting from my Mum who was a working woman and still managed to raise 2 successful daughters, she has always pushed me to be the best I can be, ensuring our Egyptian culture and beliefs are embedded in me but without stopping me from becoming the best version of myself.

Other women who have inspired are the new generation young ladies who continued the  fight for women’s right into the new modern era; the likes of Malala Yousafzai who inspires me for her activism for girls education at a very young age that is changing the world and showing us to be courageous in taking action to better our lives and our society; and like Emma Watson who has used her fame in a very positive way to influence change in fighting for global women’s rights and also on how men should also be involved in feminism. These young women show me how I should always stand for what I believe.

Last updated Friday 5 March 2021

First published on Friday 5 March 2021