Celebrating our teams...Jody Davis, Dispenser and Care Navigator for James Cochrane Practice

There are a variety of roles across BHCP and other organisations we work with in the community. Here we shine the spotlight on the people who carry out a range of roles to keep our communities healthy and supported.

Jody Davis is a Dispenser and Care Navigator for the James Cochrane Practice in Kendal and has worked for the practice for 22 years. She is a Dispenser three days a week and Care Navigator one day a week. She is based at the Helme Chase Surgery which is the practice’s main site and where the dispensary is based.

Jody works as part of a team that has a daily rota that enables the team to complete   various tasks throughout the day.

What experience did you need to obtain your role?

Jody said: "I started working at James Cochrane Practice when I left college and the practice put me through my qualification. I had no experience of working in a GP surgery when I started."

What does your role involve?

Jody said: "My role as a Dispenser involves the following:

• requesting and dispensing repeat medication for patients.
• updating patients’ medication records following hospital appointments and discharges. 
• dealing with patient queries about medication. 
• delivering medication to our dispensing patients during the lockdown.

"My role as a Care Navigator: As part of the team I have two hours on the phone, making patient appointments and giving out results. I also deal with any patient queries. Then the rest of the day I carry out admin tasks including checking emails and the AskMyGp system that we use for patients to access us online for on the day appointments."

What have been the best bits and challenges of your role?

Jody said: "I enjoy being able to help patients and see that they get the best from our practice.

"Current challenges include the time that patients are having to wait for appointments we are working very hard to provide more appointments to be able to accommodate everyone. However, this can cause frustration for some patients."

Top tips for people wanting to become a Dispenser or Care Navigator:

Jody said: "You need to have good communication skills, good people skills, reasoning, listening, patience and understanding. 

"Being able to work as part of a team but also have initiative to work on your own."

How can I find out more?

Jody said: "You can find out more about Care Navigators at the Health Education England website here. You can find out Dispenser and Pharmacy Assistant roles at the NHS website here.

"You can find the latest vacancies in Primary Care at the NW careers site by clicking here."

You can read a PDF version of the case study here.