AWARD WINNERS
MANAGEMENT OF LONG TERM CONDITIONS
DICKIES PHARMACY, ABERDEEN
David Guest, Wockhardt UK and Dickies Pharmacy, Torry, Aberdeen
THERE’S NO DOUBT THAT SCOTTISH HEALTHCARE IS BEGINNING TO BE GREATLY IMPACTED BY THE PREVALENCE OF LONG-TERM CONDITIONS. THIS YEAR’S WINNER HAS TAKEN STEPS TO MEET THE CHALLENGE.
Last year, the Scottish Government estimated that two million people - 40 per cent of the Scottish population - have at least one long-term condition, with one in four adults over 16 reporting some form of long-term illness, health problem or disability.
According to Audit Scotland, the number of people aged 75 and over will rise by 60 per cent between 2004 and 2031. By the age of 65, nearly two-thirds of people will have developed a long term condition.
Older people are also more likely to have more than one long-term condition: 27 per cent of people aged 75-84 have two or more. There is a predicted rise of 38 per cent in the number of people who will be over 85 in the population by 2016, and a 144 per cent rise in the over 85s by 2031.
The human costs and the economic burden for health and social care are profound. In fact, it’s estimated that 60 per cent of all deaths are attributable to long-term conditions and that they account for 80 per cent of all GP consultations.
With such alarming statistics, it is great to see the work that pharmacies such as the winner of this year’s Management of Long Term Conditions
44 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST
Award are providing in an attempt to help patients manage their long-term conditions in their own communities.
Dickies Pharmacy is located in a largely deprived area of Aberdeen city, with a primarily middle-aged and elderly population suffering from long-term, chronic conditions. The area is heavily populated by Polish nationals, and the pharmacy has a large number of people registered to CMS.
The Dickies team spend a lot of time in the pharmacy explaining to eligible patients about the Chronic Medication Service (CMS), and what it means. Many patients are often confused about what CMS means and think that it means that they can no longer see their GP if they have a serial prescription. By spending time explaining this, and providing them with leaflets, the team ensure that the patients fully understand the service and, consequently, derive maximum benefit from it.
The team has created a short questionnaire that is given to patients enquiring about their general health and wellbeing, and asking about any existing health conditions they may have. It also asks the patient to specify if, for example, they have difficulty with swallowing tablets, have a physical disability that may make
it hard for them to pop out tablets or open tubs, or have any visual impairments.
By looking at the outcome of the questionnaire, the pharmacy may then go back to the GP for some adjustments regarding formulation. There may, for example, be a need for a patient to be given a soluble form of tablets if he or she has issues with swallowing.
Every couple of months, a joint meeting is held between the pharmacy and the local GP surgery regarding the CMS among the patients the pharmacy serves. At this meeting, the doctors and the pharmacist, Iona Skinner, highlight any issues they see arising and discuss possible solutions. Issues outside these meetings can be discussed directly with doctors over the phone.
The pharmacy also has a direct line to the GP surgery, providing them with quick access to make an enquiry that needs to be dealt with immediately.
The Dickies Pharmacy team firmly believes that, by taking time to speak to patients, they can find out what is important to them and learn more about their conditions. Such conversations can highlight issues for the team to deal with, whether it’s a matter of side effects of medicines, or having issues with opening formulations.
One of the pharmacy patients, who is visually impaired, recently asked for PILs of his medicines to be printed in Braille. The pre-reg was tasked with obtaining these for him and the patient was extremely grateful.
The team also keeps track of pick-ups through CMS. By doing this, they are able to identify any anomalies and can then enquire with the patient why they may not be collecting or requiring all of the items every eight weeks. This move has highlighted compliance issues that the doctors may not be aware of, and ensures once again that the patient is getting the best care from the service in general and from the pharmacy in particular.
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