Community Pharmacy Future group reveals success of a new person-centred care pilot to support patients with long-term conditions

Community pharmacy can support patients with long-term conditions (LTCs) to improve their quality of life and provide cost-effective solutions for the NHS. This is the view of the Community Pharmacy Future group (comprising Boots UK, LloydsPharmacy, Rowlands Pharmacy and Well Pharmacy) and academics from the University of East Anglia, following the Pharmacy Care Plan service pilot and research.

With over 15 million people in England living with one or more LTC, the project aimed to implement a new person-centred model of care to empower patients to manage their own condition and support the NHS self care agenda. The service used clinical tools including the Patient Activation Measure, which assesses the knowledge, skill and confidence a person has in managing their health. Patients are scored at different activation levels and research suggests that by moving from the lowest activation level to the highest, healthcare costs can be reduced by up to 21 per cent.

A new care model

The service was delivered by 38 community pharmacies in West Yorkshire and supported 378 patients, focusing on interventions that can be delivered in regular discussions with patients collecting prescribed medication.

Overall, statistically significant increases in levels of patient activation, self-reported adherence to their medication, and selfreported quality of life were achieved. Health economic analysis results suggested that the service could be considered cost effective.

After the 12-month pilot, 93 per cent of patients who attended the first appointment agreed one or more health goals with the pharmacist and 39.3 per cent of patients who set goals achieved one or more. There was also significant improvement in blood pressure.

Clare Kerr, head of healthcare policy and strategy for Celesio UK, said: “The design, delivery and evaluation of this service has grown the ever-increasing evidence base for the value of community pharmacy.”