Structured Medication Review
This service is to support you or the person you care for in getting the best results from medication, to minimise any harm or side-effects and to support you to self-manage any long-terms conditions. A member of the PCN Integrated Clinical Pharmacy Team would carry out a holistic, personalised, in-depth Structured Medication Review. This would look at your medication, specific aspects of your health, other aspects of life that impact your health or the effectiveness of your medicine to treat any long-term issues it was originally prescribed for. The goal is to support you to self-manage your long-term conditions through best use of medication.
Link you up with other sources of help
We also work with our colleagues in the broader PCN team and in Practices and will link up with them if we think you could benefit from their help.
Behind the scenes
Improve Communication
Alongside this we work to improve communication between your secondary care hospital specialist teams, community pharmacy and the GP Practice team with the aim of reducing the risk of re-admissions to hospital due to avoidable complications from medicines when discharged.
Making improvements
The team is made up of experienced Clinical Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians. Behind the scenes, we will also be working to improve services offered at GP practices which will increase your access to medication, an example is electronic repeat dispensing.
Who is the service for?
Currently this team is working through a list of adult (18 and over) patients from the six GP Practices, with specific criteria and may contact you directly if you fall into a particular category.
Some examples of the patients they are working with are:
- Patients who are resident in our care homes
- Patients at risk of osteoporosis
- Patients diagnosed as being frail
- Patients with diabetes
- Patients on 10 or more medicines, or with complex medication needs or where medications have risk of abuse
This service is not suitable for:
- People under 18
Whilst these staff are pharmacists, they are not there to help with minor ailments (such as colds, hay fever, ear wax) and as these conditions may be best taken to your Pharmacy.
How do I make an appointment?
Currently you can’t refer yourself for an appointment as the team are working through contacting patients in identified categories.
Those who are likely to benefit from a Structured Medication Review will be referred to the PCN Integrated Clinical Pharmacy Team by another health professional. However, please do contact your GP Practice if you do feel you are experiencing side effects or harm from your medication.
5 Moments for Medication Safety
You are encouraged to be curious about the medication you take and should be empowered to communicate with your health professional. There are 5 moments when you should consider medication safety:
- When starting a medication
- When taking your prescribed medication
- When adding a prescribed medication
- When reviewing your medication
- When stopping your medication
The following infographic from the World Health Organisation helps to explain these 5 moments. If you require this information in an alternative format, please contact reception.
