About Me
One of the first questions I am asked is whether I'm a real clinician. The answer is Yes! My name is Christelle and I'm an Advanced Nurse Practitioner and prescribing clinician.
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I've been nursing for over a decade. I graduated with a BSc (hons) in Adult Nursing from Plymouth University and spent almost ten years including a student year working in acute cardiology and high dependency care in hospital. I then achieved a Masters Degree with Distinction in Advanced Clinical Practice and became a prescriber. Shortly after, I joined general practice where I still practice today.
I split my time between acute care, chronic disease management and private healthcare. I have led teams of nurses and helped to redesign chronic disease strategy. I am registered as a nurse and a prescriber with the Nursing Midwifery Council and I am a registered Advanced Nurse Practioner with the Royal College Nursing. I have full medical indemnity insurance for my NHS and private practice and am a member of a union.
How and why I prescribe Medical Cannabis
I am one of the first Advanced Nurse Practitioners in the UK to prescribe Medical Cannabis. Medical Cannabis is rarely available on the NHS so I prescribe this within private healthcare. After working with patients in general practice who suffer from chronic pain, I decided I wanted to look for a treatment that offered more than what we are able to offer in general practice.
I started to research the potential of Medical Cannabis and attended further training. I achieved approval to be able to prescribe Schedule 2 and 3 controlled drugs privately. I then began to work with the wonderful team at MyAccess Clinics where I work with patients who are being treated with Medical Cannabis under a shared care agreement. A Shared Care Agreement in this case, means that responsibility for the prescribing of a particular medicine is shared between a consultant and a primary care practitioner. This means that all the patients that I work with are overseen by a consultant clinician both at the beginning and during their treatment. As a team of clinicians we discuss each patient in detail regularly to ensure their care is appropriate for their needs.
Mission
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To help improve the quality of life of patients living with chronic conditions by providing access to Medical Cannabis.
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To coach patients through managing their overall wellbeing.
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To help other clinicians to recognise, understand and gain confidence in Medical Cannabis as a valid treatment for their patients.
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To help inform a growing body of clinical evidence and raise the profile of Medical Cannabis, so that it may be considered as a funded treatment for those who may benefit from it.
Vision
A clinical system where patients who may benefit from Medical Cannabis are able to access it.
A clinical system where we keep our patients whole, recognising the value of all their experiences - physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually as part of their overall health. We call this Personalised Care.
