BIMDG 2026

Faiza Adrees

I believe Antonio has submitted the presentation overview. Please see below for my Bio as requested and headshot. Sincere apologies for delay:I studied my master’s in pharmacy at the University of Manchester before beginning my hospital pharmacy career as a rotational pharmacist. During this time, I gained experience across a range of medical specialities, which gave me a strong grounding in clinical pharmacy and the complexity of caring for patients with long-term and specialist needs.

I later completed a post-graduate diploma in Clinical pharmacy at John Moore’s university in Liverpool followed by my qualification as an independent prescriber from the university of Salford. After two years working in general practice, I returned to the hospital pharmacy and moved directly into the challenges of inherited metabolic diseases- a speciality I have grown to love. I have worked as a directorate pharmacist in inherited metabolic diseases in Salford for the last 8 years. Beyond my day-to-day role I have enjoyed contributing to the wider metabolic community as the pharmacist representative on the BIMDG committee and through involvement with the clinical reference group. These roles have reinforced my interest in shaping how pharmacy contributes to rare disease care nationally and in supporting the future development of metabolic pharmacists.

Looking ahead, I am excited to continue developing within this unique and evolving speciality. I am particularly interested in strengthening the recognition of the metabolic pharmacist role, supporting greater consistency across services and helping to create clearer development opportunities.

The Evolving Role of the Pharmacist in IMD

Pharmacists are medicines experts who play a critical role within multidisciplinary teams (MDT) caring for patients with inherited metabolic disorders (IMDs) in the United Kingdom. This presentation explores the evolving role of UK IMD pharmacists as advanced clinical practitioners who contribute to patient care, clinical governance and professional representation within the MDT.

A national survey of adult and paediatric IMD captured their roles, prescribing practices, MDT involvement and perceived barriers to development. Finding demonstrate that pharmacists are extensively involved in both clinical care and governance activities. Their contributions span inpatient. outpatient and homecare settings, supporting a wide range of specialist therapies, including enzyme replacement therapies, substrate reduction therapies, ammonia scavengers and compassionate-use medicines.

Despite most pharmacist holding independent prescriber qualifications, the implementation of prescribing roles and pharmacist-led clinics is not universal. Challenges to role development include limited protected IMD time, funding constrains and restricted access to professional development. These barriers limit the full utilisation of pharmacists’ clinical expertise.

Addressing funding, protected time, and access to professional development may enable pharmacists to deliver greater clinical impact and service efficiency. IMD pharmacists already contribute significantly to clinical care, service delivery and governance; however, overcoming current barriers could further expand their roles further, enhancing service efficiency and patients’ outcomes.

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