Services Database POPPIES: A Community Pharmacist Domiciliary Visit Pilot

The project was planned to devote resources to managing and advising on medication in the elderly population, reducing the risk of medication safety incidents and of unplanned admissions.

The patient’s medication was reviewed in their own home. The community pharmacist undertook an intervention based upon an agreed structured review but extended to consider education around signals that the patient should seek help.

The project plan

To devote community pharmacy resources, to managing and advising on medication in the frail elderly, housebound population of Cornwall; a cohort of often vulnerable people who are unlikely to visit to their pharmacy.

The pharmacist aimed to ensure people visited obtain the maximum benefit from their medication, through optimisation, reduction of waste, and improved compliance and adherence, and in doing so, reduce the risk of medication safety incidents and of unplanned hospital admissions which in turn reduces the financial burden on the NHS.

The service was developed by Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Pharmaceutical Committee & Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group, after work considering the frail elderly was begun about three years before.

Three levels of frail elderly were considered and pilots put in place to address their needs:

• Level 1: Individuals being discharged from acute hospitals
• Level 2: People discharged from Community hospitals
• Level 3: Individuals who require support in their own home

The initial wave was in the Camborne & Redruth area funded by the Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund. Newquay pharmacies received further funding from the South West Clinical Network Group. A more substantial sum of money was then granted by the Prime Minister’s GP Access Fund, which allowed further waves of the pilot.

Not known.