The electronic prescribing system, which will benefit babies born in Burnley, is the legacy of pharmacist Saairah Khan, who died before she got the chance to see the system in place, after working closely with colleagues to ensure the information behind each prescription was accurate.

An electronic prescribing system, that will benefit babies born in Burnley, is the legacy of a pharmacist who died before she got the chance to see the system in place.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust introduced electronic prescribing to its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) based at Burnley General Hospital. It helps to make prescribing and administering medicines safer and more effective for some of its most vulnerable patients.

The project represents a lasting legacy for pharmacist Saairah Khan, who died before the system went live at the beginning of October.

Saairah, who had worked at ELHT since 2018, played an instrumental role in the development of the system, working closely with colleagues to ensure the information behind each prescription was accurate and spending 18 months meticulously checking prescribing bundles to ensure they worked safely and effectively.

Chief Pharmacy Information Officer at ELHT, Alistair Gray said: “This has been an incredibly detailed piece of work and a fantastic team effort which will make a real difference to the care of babies on NICU.

“Saairah played a huge part in getting us to where we are today. Her knowledge, dedication and attention to detail helped us create a safer and more effective prescribing environment for some of our most vulnerable patients.

“Saairah’s contribution will have a lasting impact, with hundreds and ultimately thousands of babies cared for at ELHT benefiting from the work she put into this project.”

Introducing ePMA to NICU required significant additional work due to the complexities of prescribing for premature and newborn babies, where doses can be affected by their age, weight and how prematurely they were born.

Over the past two years, the Pharmacy, ePMA and NICU teams worked together to develop and test around 220 prescribing bundles, containing hundreds of individual prescriptions tailored to the needs of babies on the unit.

Growing up in Haslingden Saairah studied pharmacy at the University of Manchester. Her family described her as being someone who was ‘incredibly supportive and approachable.”

Saairah’s sister said: “Saairah was effortlessly cool, intelligent, and had a lovely personality. “She was always someone her colleagues and family could turn to for advice, guidance, or help with any questions, and was always happy to share her knowledge and support others.

“She had a quiet confidence about her and was someone who left a lasting impression on everyone who knew her.”