NHS Trafford CCG placing team of pharmacists in care homes

NHS Trafford Clinical Commissioning Group is placing a team of pharmacists to work across care homes in the borough to boost access to healthcare in the community.

The Medicines Optimisation Care Homes Team will work with GPs to ensure that residents are getting the most out of their medication through “enhancing the quality and efficiency of prescribing”.

According to the CCG, the team’s focus will be to improve the quality of care for care home residents by “ensuring the safe and effective use of medicines to enable the best possible outcomes”.

The pharmacists will be able to use knowledge of medicines in undertaking clinical medication reviews “to proactively help residents”, many of whom have complex medication regimens for multiple illnesses.

The team will also provide education, training and support to care homes staff as well as assist the CCG and Local Authority in quality reviews to enable care homes to improve safe and secure handling of medicines.

“This is an exciting opportunity to support care homes and bring more and better quality and access to healthcare into the community,” said Dr Mark Jarvis, medical director at NHS Trafford Clinical Commissioning Group, commenting on the move.

16th October 2018

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