As part of the Health Secretary’s, Matt Hancock’s, ‘Pharmacy First’ programme to ease pressure off GP services and hospitals, discharged patients from hospitals will be digitally referred to their pharmacy for extra guidance regarding their new prescribed medicines.
79% of patients were prescribed at least one new medication when discharged from an NHS hospital. 65% of people are also less likely to be readmitted to hospital if they have had help with their medicine post-discharge. From July, they will not have to return to the hospital or GP service in order to get more information regarding their medication.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:
“I want all patients to get the right care close to home, and to avoid any unnecessary visits to the hospital. To help do that I’ve begun the Pharmacy First programme, asking pharmacies to do more to support people in the community, as they do in other countries like France. It’s good for patients and great for the NHS because it reduces pressure on GPs and hospitals.
“These new services will help strengthen what community pharmacists can do, helping interrelation with general practice and hospitals, and help them deliver safer, more efficient patient care right across the NHS.
“This new contract bolsters the enhanced role highly-skilled pharmacists are playing in preventing ill health and helping us to stay well in our communities.”
The NHS Discharge Medicines Service is just one part of the 5-year Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework, including the Pharmacist Consultation Service which provides same-day pharmacy appointments for already over 176,000 patients with minor injuries and emergencies.
Bruce Warner, NHS England deputy chief pharmaceutical officer, said:
“Preventing ill health is a key part of the NHS Long Term Plan and over the next year we will introduce the new Discharge Medicines Service to help people most in need of support with their medication, as well as begin to test a variety of new measures to identify people with undiagnosed conditions.
“This will make even better use of the valuable and extensive clinical skills of community pharmacists so that people can ‘walk in’ and get the health advice and help they need, providing an excellent.”
Local MP, Caroline Dinenage, commented:
“We know that local GPs are under enormous pressure and our pharmacists can play a big role in reducing demand. The Pharmacist Consultation Service has already been a huge success and it is great to see the Pharmacy First programme being rolled out.”