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The Health Innovation Network (HIN) South London launched the Cardiometabolic Fellowship programme in 2022 to equip clinicians with advanced skills to tackle cardiovascular and metabolic health inequalities. Former Fellow, Julia Parascandolo shares how the Fellowship boosted her expertise, confidence, and professional network, enabling her to secure a promotion and deliver impactful improvements in patient care and service efficiency across south east London.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains one of the UK’s most pressing health challenges, with 7.6 million people in the UK living with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and an estimated cost to the NHS of around £16 billion every year. To address these issues, we launched the Cardiometabolic Fellowship Programme (formerly known as the CVD Prevention Fellowship) to equip primary care clinicians with advanced skills to prevent and manage cardiovascular and metabolic health challenges.

In this blog, Cardiovascular (Lipid) Specialist Pharmacist Julia Parascandolo shares how her experience in the Cardiometabolic Fellowship Programme enhanced her clinical skills, fostered multidisciplinary collaboration, and helped her tackle disparities in care across south east London. From working as a Lead Pharmacist in Lewisham to her current specialist role, Julia reflects on the Fellowship’s transformative impact on her career, her confidence in patient interactions, and her ability to drive system-wide improvements in CVD prevention and management.

The CVD Prevention Fellowship was designed to make a tangible impact on tackling health inequalities in areas like Lewisham, where residents often face disparities in cardiovascular care compared to other boroughs. At the time, I was doing a lot of CVD prevention work as a Lead Pharmacist in Lewisham, but I wanted to build my confidence in one-on-one patient interactions and deepen my skills. The Fellowship felt like the perfect opportunity as not only could I grow my expertise, but I also could learn from other clinicians like GPs and nurses. I knew that by collaborating across disciplines, we could take a more united approach to CVD prevention across south London.

The Fellowship programme was both practical and engaging. The bite-sized lunchtime learning sessions fitted easily into my schedule, and the recorded webinars allowed me to revisit the material and share it with my team during our huddles. I found myself applying the knowledge immediately, whether it was using new tools for EMIS searches or thinking more holistically about patient care. The programme boosted my confidence in patient interactions and equipped me to support my colleagues more effectively. Passing on these skills to newly qualified team members strengthened the whole team’s approach to cardiovascular care and helped us deliver more consistent and informed support to patients across primary care settings.

Since completing the CVD Prevention Fellowship, I’ve moved into a new role as a Cardiovascular (Lipid) Specialist Pharmacist, focusing on bridging primary and secondary care across Lewisham and Greenwich. I first heard about this opportunity at the final showcase of the CVD Prevention Fellowship, where they announced there would be three new roles in lipid (cholesterol) management opening across south east London. When the job description came through, it felt like it was made for me. It was a chance to apply my skills on a larger scale and help reduce cardiovascular risks across the community in a meaningful way.

In primary care, I spend a lot of time working with GPs and pharmacists to improve their knowledge and skills in lipid management. This includes delivering bite-sized educational sessions on topics like treatment targets, new medications, and when to safely de-prescribe. I also run joint clinics and multidisciplinary team sessions to provide hands-on support, helping other pharmacists become more specialised in lipid management. By upskilling clinicians, we’re building a stronger, more knowledgeable primary care team ready to tackle cardiovascular risk effectively.

In secondary care, my role focuses on managing triage referrals to ensure that only necessary cases come through to consultants. This work has already made a huge impact – I’ve filtered out 22 per cent of referrals from primary care and the waiting list has reduced by around 50 per cent (from 72 weeks to 31 weeks). By screening and redirecting referrals where possible, we’ve reduced unnecessary appointments and given consultants more capacity to see high-risk patients sooner, lowering their chances of emergency visits or severe cardiac events. The feedback has been incredibly positive, with appointment teams seeing real improvements in patient care and service efficiency across south east London.

The CVD Prevention Fellowship was instrumental in giving me the confidence to apply for my current role as a Cardiovascular (Lipid) Specialist Pharmacist. Through the Fellowship, I not only gained essential skills in cardiorenal metabolic health but also had the opportunity to meet experts from across south London, building a network I can rely on to this day. This network means that if I encounter a particularly challenging case, I know exactly who to reach out to for guidance. The connections I made across different boroughs have been invaluable, particularly as we work together to reduce CVD risk at a population level. Knowing that I had a strong foundation and people to support me gave me the self-assurance I needed to step into this new role.

One of the most impactful lessons I brought back from the Fellowship was in quality improvement. Learning how to analyse and reflect on existing processes and to compare them with what’s working well in other regions has fundamentally shaped my approach to problem solving in my day-to-day work. The programme also taught me how to deliver concise, targeted presentations, ensuring that when I’m training or supporting other clinicians, the information is practical and fits their busy schedules. This experience also sparked my curiosity beyond lipids, encouraging me to keep learning across related areas. I would wholeheartedly recommend the Fellowship to others, and encouraged the other two successful Specialist Pharmacists to apply so that they can benefit from the same skills, confidence, and network that have been so valuable in my own journey.