Services Database Not Dispensed Scheme (Bath and North East Somerset Area)

Service ID

199300

Description

The purpose of this project is to pilot a 'not dispensed' scheme to test if an approach to remunerating community pharmacists to identify waste is viable and will deliver the savings anticipated to the health community while supporting patients to take the medicines they require.

The pharmacist reviews the prescriptions they receive and identifies any areas where the medication can be optimised, for example:

  • removal of unwanted medication;
  • reduction in prescription quantities to synchronise with other medicines;
  • changing formulation; or
  • reduction in prescribing frequencies to synchronise with other medicines.

The patient is then consulted to ensure they understand and are happy with the suggested changes to their medicines. If the patient agrees, information from the consultation is entered on to PharmOutcomes, and a recommendation of what changes would benefit the patient is sent to the patient’s GP practice to be actioned by a CCG pharmacist. The CCG pharmacist will then examine the recommendation and either approve or reject the change.
Community Pharmacy England has published two case studies on this service:
Services case study: Utilising community pharmacists to reduce prescribing waste (March 2018)
Services case study: Medicines optimisation service identifies over £15k of savings in eight weeks (August 2017)

Location of service

Avon LPC

Commissioner

Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

Method of commissioning

Source of funding

Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG)

Service type

Not dispensed scheme

Other organisations involved

Dates

Start date:
End date:

Status

Decommissioned

Training

Not known.

Comments

This service is available in the Bath and North East Somerset area only.