Social and health services back new medicines support scheme in Norfolk
Pharmacists in Norfolk are joining forces with social services to improve medicines use in older people. The scheme involves three main elements:
a pharmaceutical assessment, provision of compliance aids and training
of social services care workers.
Denise Farmer, head of prescribing policy, Southern Norfolk Primary Care Trust, told The Journal: “We have had involvement and co-operation
from the Norfolk local pharmaceutical committee, social services and
all six PCTs in Norfolk.” She stressed how important it has been
for different organisations in Norfolk to work together in the scheme. “We
have had a positive response, with excellent attendance at meetings and
everyone has been extremely interested,” she said.
The scheme involves health professionals and social service staff referring
older people for a pharmaceutical assessment. A community pharmacist,
Ian Charles, is being employed by social services from September. “We
believe he is one of the first pharmacists to be specifically employed
by social services,” said Mrs Farmer. He will be undertaking some
of the assessments; others will be carried out by pharmacists and pharmacy
technicians paid on a sessional basis.
The scheme allows the assessor to recommend, where appropriate, that
the patient is given either a compliance aid or help from social services.
Monitored dosage systems (MDS) will be supplied by community pharmacists
on a weekly basis. Prescriptions for MDS devices are expected to be for
no longer than 28 days and the cost of the devices is covered by the
scheme. If the patient needs more help, and is receiving social services
support, then a chart will be produced to help the social services care
worker to administer the patient’s drugs from original containers.
The PCT has produced a specific, standardised version of a medication
administration record (MAR) chart. “This ensures care workers only
see one type of chart,” said Mrs Farmer. Charts will be supplied
to community pharmacists who have to fill them in and, when the items
are dispensed, stick duplicate labels onto the chart.
Social care workers will receive training as part of the scheme. A training
package has been developed by the University of East Anglia academic
pharmacy department. Mrs Farmer explained: “It will be delivered
by pharmacists or other suitably qualified people to 50 care workers
each month.” They will be trained in a half-day workshop. It will
include topics about medicines, repeat prescribing, how to use the MAR
chart and issues such as crushing tablets and opening capsules. The care
workers will also be given a reference booklet containing information
about medicines.
Pharmacists who supply the charts or compliance aids also need to be
accredited as part of a service level agreement. This involves a one-evening
training course.
The scheme has been granted £230,000 funding for the first year.
Pharmacists will be paid £50 for carrying out an assessment that
is expected to take two hours: one-and-half-hours with the patient and
another half-an-hour to complete relevant paperwork. For filling compliance
aids, and carrying out any necessary follow-up monitoring, pharmacists
are paid £12 per month per patient (or £3 per week). A sum
of £5 per patient per month is paid for providing charts.
It is expected that 850 referrals will be made to the scheme in its first
year.
The scheme will start in October and is still in the process of recruiting
pharmacists. All pharmacies providing services to patients registered
with general practitioners in the PCTs in Norfolk are eligible to participate.
Further information is available from Denise Farmer at Southern Norfolk
PCT (tel 01353 669519). |
