NHS England colleagues visit for World Pharmacists Day

Last week, in celebration of World Pharmacists Day (25 September), representatives from NHS England attended a special collaborative conference, to come together and learn about the impactful initiative ‘Show Me Your Meds, Please?’.

The day, led by Deb Gompertz, a complex care GP and clinical lead in South Somerset, was centred around the innovative pilot of ‘Show Me Your Meds, Please?’ and the impact it is having on primary care networks within the county.

‘Show Me Your Meds, Please?’ is a new model of care, asking a simple screening question during routine home visits by community colleagues. It provides the potential for a reduction in medicine waste with subsequent environmental and cost-saving benefits, along with improved individualised patient care.

The first pilot over a 3-month period identified 40 patients not adhering to their medication as prescribed. 1,049 individual months of unused prescription items were identified, with the wasted medication valued at £10,866.

It is estimated that every pound spent on pharmaceuticals generates greenhouse gas emissions of 0.1558kg CO2 per pound (£), representing avoidable CO2 emissions of 1693kg. 39 medications were stopped, providing predicted cost saving over the next 12 months of £3,529 and 549kg CO2 emissions prevented. Medication regimes were simplified in more than 50% of cases, and social prescribing was initiated in 30% of cases, and new cognitive impairment was identified in 35% of cases.

On Wednesday 25 September, colleagues from our trust were joined by senior members of NHS England, including Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director, Professor Tony Avery, national clinical director for prescribing and David Webb, chief pharmaceutical officer, to listen to an extensive presentation of the importance, impact and benefit of the ‘Show Me Your Meds, Please?’ initiative.

Further to Deb Gompertz’ case study of the fantastic results and change for good the initiative is having on community colleagues and patients, there were other integral individuals in attendance from the Somerset Integrated Care System who helped to widen the scope of the project and share key learnings and ideas for continued development, such as Ian Clegg, primary care network clinical director and clinical pharmacist, Shaun Green, chief pharmacist for NHS Somerset ICB (integrated care board) and Dr Jon Dolman, director and clinical lead for the Somerset Training Hub.

It was also wonderful to see colleagues from our trust in attendance on the day too, sharing their experiences and the vital impact that this ongoing work is having on them and their patients, and more specifically, how our neighbourhood and community teams, as well as acute, can benefit from such an initiative. Melanie Iles, chief medical officer, joined the conversation, along with Anthony Zorzi, associate director of pharmacy, Victoria Welsh, bid lead and innovation discovery manager, Deanna Pitcher, assistant practitioner for complex care, Dr Rachel Johns, consultant anaesthetist and associate medical director for quality improvement, and Hannah Bagatelas, neighbourhood development lead.

The day was a huge success, and every attendee came away with a renewed sense of the importance of collaboration and cross-system working, regionally and nationally. It was also an important time to highlight the vital work our pharmacy colleagues do across the county for World Pharmacists Day. It’s a day to recognise and celebrate the crucial role that pharmacists play in building a healthier community. Pharmacists are integral to our healthcare system, often being the first point of contact for health advice and primary health care, as well as addressing the health needs of our populations in many, varied ways.

“We have been hearing about the ‘Show Me Your Meds, Please?’ project today and it really focuses on making sure that people have the right medication, and if there is medication that people no longer need, they are being removed. The great thing about it is it doesn’t just happen in GP practices; it happens in people’s homes. This approach, that just asks a simple question, is an introduction to a wider conversation about what medication really means to people.” – Sir Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England.

“This is an amazing project that is an excellent example of interdisciplinary teamworking over a primary care network. Deb and the team are achieving some fantastic results around reducing medication and ensuring patients are at the centre of everything they do.” – Melanie Iles, chief medical officer for Somerset FT.

“It has been fantastic to be here to see how incredibly well people are working in an integrated way in Somerset, both within teams, and across communities. They are truly putting the patient at the heart of what they are doing. It has been really inspiring to listen to.” – Professor Tony Avery, national clinical director for prescribing at NHS England.

“The message of ‘Show Me Your Meds, Please?’ is strong but simple. It opens the conversation about patients’ medication in Somerset, whether they take them, or understand why they should. We fully support the programme and invite colleagues in Somerset to engage in this initiative.” – Shaun Green, chief pharmacist for NHS Somerset ICB.

“We’ve had a great day, and I feel very privileged to share the impart our initiative is having in the county.” – Deb Gompertz, complex care GP and clinical lead at Somerset FT.

“What we’ve really picked up today has been the value of interprofessional working and how a whole team approach makes a difference. ‘Show Me Your Meds, Please?’ not only positively impacts change and conversation around medication, but also progress towards sustainability and environmental impacts.” – David Webb, chief pharmaceutical officer for NHS England.

“We’ve heard a lot of good examples of how we can better support patients in their own homes with their medication. I think some of our role will be looking at how we can support that integrated working going forward.” – Anthony Zorzi, associate director of pharmacy at Somerset FT.

“Although I’ve not been in pharmacy for too long, I feel like my experience working with Deb Gompertz is really highlighting what we can do across the system. This is a key part of pharmacy that needs further optimisation.” – Jack Norman, apprentice trainee pharmacy technician.