Ensuring Patient Access in the COVID-19 Pandemic

September 28, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all of us, both professionally and personally, as it has forced many of us to adapt to new ways of living and working. For many of our Takeda colleagues, this has meant changing their work environment and schedules, whilst also ensuring that, where our patients are concerned, business continues as normal. We’re taking this opportunity to look beyond the science of COVID-19 and take inspiration from our colleagues at Takeda who continue to deliver on our commitment to serve patients.

Meet Lee Simms! Lee is an Account Lead for the Immunology Team in the UK. He is part of a truly cross-functional team working together across different portfolios. His passion in life is doing everything he can to help others; at Takeda, this means he particularly enjoys the elements of his job that lead to improving patients’ lives. Outside of work, this has led him to be Director of his own charitable foundation.

We asked Lee to answer a few questions and share how he has been adapting to the ‘new normal’ throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

How are you working to get patients the treatments they need?

By working closely with consultants, nurses and pharmacists in our key accounts and regionally to make sure the most in-need patients are identified. We’re also working closely with homecare companies to make sure they’re aware of new patient referrals, that they can provide a safe and secure clinical process for patients and that they’re in contact with healthcare professionals (HCPs). We’re also making sure all stakeholders are aware of and using multimedia options to support this process. This involves me being the first point of contact for the HCPs. However, it also involves many colleagues across Marketing, Medical, Access and Patient Services to optimize outcomes for patients.

What have you learned from the COVID-19 pandemic?

From a professional perspective, I’ve learned that we may be able to become even more efficient in educating HCPs by using virtual and digital platforms. From a personal perspective, I’ve learned how important it is that we all try to do more to help each other and our communities when people are struggling.