The six-month consultation (which is actually the second quarterly review) is the most important milestone for the Community Pharmacy Future project since the COPD Support Service was launched in September last year.
The formal analysis of the project will be comparing any changes seen between the initial reviews and the six-month reviews. Hence we need every patient to have had a six-monthly review before the end of June.
IMS Health, a respected firm of health analyists, will be using the data from the six-month reviews to indicate the health economic benefits of the service. It is this data, setting out the benefits to patients and the NHS, which will be vital in convincing NHS England – the new national commissioning body – to take the service on and develop it into part of the national pharmacy contract.
To ensure all your six-month reviews go smoothly, it might be a good idea to get them booked in at times that are convenient to both the patient and the pharmacy team. Don’t forget to call the customer the day before the consultation to remind them.
It is also worthwhile asking yourself a few questions:
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Do you have a plan to complete the six-month reviews before the end of June?
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Do you need any support and, if so, have you asked for it?
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Have all your existing consultations been entered into ESMAQ?
The six-month reviews are a vital stage in the future success of the project, so ensure you are well prepared so that you can get all your patients reviewed before the end of June – Good luck!
Visitors see Four or More Service in action in Boots
The success of the Four or More Medicines Support Service has led to requests by official groups to see the service in action. At the end of April, representatives from the pharmacy negotiators, PSNC, and their Government counterparts at NHS Employers, visited Wigan. The photograph shows (L-R): David Lees (Boots), Marie-Claire Demblon (NHS Employers), Sue Sharpe (PSNC), Alastair Buxton (PSNC), Vicki Woodall (Boots), and Andrew Clapperton (NHS Employers) visiting Boots, Bryn.
Photo by Parag Oza
Our support for patients will continue after June
As we heard at the celebration event last month, both patients and our pharmacy teams say that they are benefiting from the service. Our patients say that they are seeing the pharmacy team in a new light, and appreciating the wide range of support you can give them, not just for their medicines.
We will share more details of how the revised service will be delivered before the end of June.
What our patients think of the service “Very simple, very straightforward and to the point, no jargon and it’s easy to take on board.” “Quite relevant because as you get older, your health and thinking changes. It gives you a guide that if something re-ocurs, it reminds you to raise it.” — Comments from Four or More patients interviewed by researchers |
Four or More Medicines Service celebration event
The celebration event held at the DW Stadium, Wigan, on 17th April provided an opportunity for pharmacy teams to discuss how they are getting on with the Four or More Medicines Support Service. The photos show (left) colleagues from Rowlands Pharmacy discussing their experiences, and (right) Co-operative Pharmacy Superintendent Pharmacist Janice Perkins and Managing Director John Nuttall hearing from their pharmacy teams.
Photos by Jonathan Buisson
Progress report
At 31st May 2013, we had review records entered on ESMAQ for patients who have had two quarterly reviews:
Four or More Support Service | 228 patients | (Retention rate 79%)
