Development of optimisation
Development of optimisation
Unlike medicines management, medicines optimisation focuses on outcomes and people rather than systems and processes. This focus on improved outcomes for individuals helps ensure that people and the NHS get better value from the investment in medicines.1
Looking at its development timeline:
2015: As part of the work from the Five year forward view, care homes sites known as ‘Vanguards’ tested new models of care across England to establish best practices.
2016: Findings from the Vanguards sites began to be published in the first version of the Enhanced Health in Care Home (EHCH) Framework. This sets out the principles for delivering proactive, personalised care for people living in care homes.
2019: NHS Long Term Plan launched. At the time, the ambition was for the EHCH Framework to be embedded in primary care by 2024. However, it was delivered early and embedded in the Primary Care Network Contract DES following the success of the Medicines optimisation in care homes programme.
2020: During the Covid-19 pandemic the movement of people living in care homes was restricted. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society responded by providing a Covid-19 in care homes training resource, to ensure people living in care homes received the care they needed. This call to action fundamentally changed the way medicines are ordered in care homes, by making better use of technology.