On Monday 4 November, Arden & GEM’s clinical support team began delivering a medicines support service in Norfolk for patients needing additional support with medication compliance.
The Norfolk Medicines Support Service (NMSS) has been commissioned by Norfolk County Council and the five Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) covering the area (North Norfolk, South Norfolk, West Norfolk, Great Yarmouth and Norwich) as part of a five-year contract. The service will be part of Arden & GEM’s wider medicines optimisation team, drawing upon the expertise and best practice the CSU has developed through working on behalf of healthcare commissioners in the Midlands and East of England.
The NMSS, which is run by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, visits patients who have been referred by community pharmacies or dispensing surgeries following concerns over compliance with prescribed medications. The concerns are often related to cognitive impairment, such as dementia, or chaotic lifestyles and can be raised by healthcare professionals, family, friends or even the patient themselves.
The service uses information from the visit, referral, prescriptions and patient summaries to complete an assessment and support plan which are then shared with relevant professionals to ensure a multidisciplinary approach to supporting the patient. This can include changes to prescribing, providing education and advice, or using a range of compliance tools and devices.
Mahesh Mistry, associate director of medicines optimisation at Arden & GEM said:
“I’m delighted that our team is providing this hugely worthwhile service for patients in Norfolk. By working collaboratively with our primary and social care colleagues, we can support people to take their medications as intended which will have a positive impact on their quality of life.”
By supporting patients to increase medication compliance, the service aims to ensure medication is more effective and that deterioration of conditions decreases to improve health outcomes and patient safety. The NMSS will also provide advice, support and training to social care providers in the area to enable them to manage medication safely.