NHS organisations are faced with significant demands to ensure that patient outcomes are improved, there is better access to the right healthcare professional or service at the right time, reducing variations in prescribing whilst ensuring that efficiencies are delivered to contribute to the overall sustainability of the NHS and the Long-Term Plan.
We deliver a broad range of medicines management and optimisation services spanning primary care, secondary care, local authorities, care homes and regional NHS England programmes of work.
With in-house expertise through our team of pharmacists, pharmacist independent prescribers and pharmacy technicians from primary care, secondary care, community pharmacy, care homes, commissioning, academia, health and justice, we are able to encompass a broad skill mix to ensure that your needs are supported now and in the future.
We offer a strategic and operational medicines management service which ensures the use of medicines is optimised throughout the NHS.
Our support includes:
Implementation support
Support for the implementation of new services or changes to practice on a small or large scale, following a structured approach which is underpinned by effective stakeholder engagement and robust project management.
For example, we have been pivotal in supporting the implementation of services such as the Discharge of Medicines Service (DMS), and Community Pharmacy Consultation Scheme (CPCS) across ICBs.
Specialised commissioning and High-Cost Drugs
- Access to a team of experts with specialised commissioning and high-cost drugs experience, offering a full range of prescribing and medicines optimisation services
- We provide support for local decision-making through the review and development of policies, and the implementation of policies through effective communications and engagement with stakeholders, training, and management of the patient database system, Blueteq
- Effective data management solutions, to support cost effective prescribing in line with statutory guidance, alongside strategic advice.
Policy development and harmonisation
- Our experience of policy implementation and clinical audit delivers expertise in drafting, reviewing and implementing medicines related policies
- We consider evidence-base along with local requirements to ensure that consistent, fair, and transparent processes are adopted by organisations.
Audits and quality assurance visits
- We have extensive experience in the design, implementation and analysis of clinical and non-clinical audits to identify areas where prescribing quality can be improved
- We can develop and tailor quality assurance frameworks and undertake quality assurance visits in a range of providers, where we deliver a blend of assurance to the responsible commissioner, whilst ensuring that appropriate recommendations are made through bespoke action planning.
Patient Group Directions review and authorised signatories
Our team of experienced pharmacists and doctors are well-equipped to review and update your patient group directions, ensuring that they are accurate, up-to-date and compliant with current legislation and guidelines. We can also provide a pharmacist and doctor authorised signatory to ensure that your patient group directions are legally valid and can be used safely and effectively.
Pharmacy strategy development
We offer a specialised service to support you in developing a pharmacy strategy that is tailored to your specific needs.
Our approach focuses on collaboration and stakeholder engagement to ensure that the strategy is aligned with your goals and objectives. We also conduct a thorough review of up-to-date published sources to ensure that the strategy is informed by the latest evidence and best practice. With our expertise and experience, we can help you develop a pharmacy strategy that is both effective and sustainable.
Targeted clinical support
Our experience includes the provision of Pharmacist led specialist clinics which increases clinical capacity and improves patient access. We have undertaken clinics such as the implementation and switching of biosimilars, and the management of complex diabetic and hypertensive patients.
Data management and software solutions
Specialist software solutions for both primary and secondary care to support cost effective prescribing in line with statutory guidance, alongside strategic advice, budget planning, implementation and prescribing data monitoring and analysis to support and improve medicines use.
Education and training
Training for GP practice staff from our highly experienced and skilled team, and regular communication with surgeries and providers to ensure advice is accurate and that prescribing safety issues are managed in a timely manner.
Incident management
Investigation and management of medication related incidents (for example, controlled drugs). Liaising with all relevant stakeholders, minimising risk, and embedding a culture of learning from incidents.
Medicines support services
- By visiting patient homes and undertaking holistic assessments on all elements of a patient’s medicines management, we provide a pragmatic solution that enables patients to manage their medicines safely, effectively and as independently as possible
- For further information about the service, please click here.
Our key strengths and expertise:
- We provide the efficiency benefits of at scale services, with a high level of expertise to ensure that best value is achieved for the NHS
- Our work with local, regional and national organisations enables our clients to get best value for money and comply with latest policy guidance, while patients get the most from their medicines
- Our varied customer base means we understand the issues and challenges faced within Medicines Optimisation across healthcare economies and we are ideally placed to support NHS organisations locally, regionally and nationally.
RELEVANT READING
Find out more about our medicines management and optimisation services by accessing the resources below.
Providing pharmacy programme management for the NHS England Midlands Specialised Commissioning team
NHS Arden & GEM’s Medicines Optimisation team was engaged by the NHS England Midlands Region Specialised Commissioning team to provide a nine-month period of temporary embedded pharmacy programme management support.
Mapping training and career pathways for pharmacy professionals in the Midlands and East of England
In response to a perceived lack of clarity about training and education needs for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, Health Education England commissioned Arden & GEM to conduct a pilot study to explore current post-registration education and training pathways.
Converting existing nurse competency frameworks into a Digital Paediatric Skills Passport
NHS Arden & GEM’s Clinical Support team was engaged by NHS England to provide programme management and strategic leadership to digitalise paediatric critical care competency frameworks.
Co-developing an integrated, system-wide frailty strategy in Lincolnshire
Sarah-Jane Mills from Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board and Roz Baker from NHS Arden & GEM CSU explain how they led development of an integrated frailty strategy to bring together disparate services and pathways that would improve quality and outcomes for Lincolnshire’s growing frail population in this article for Healthcare Leader.
Co-developing and implementing a frailty strategy for Lincolnshire Integrated Care System
Arden & GEM’s Clinical Support team worked closely with ICB colleagues to bring together a wide range of stakeholders from across health and social care to co-develop a frailty strategy for Lincolnshire.
Developing a harmonised Section 117 aftercare policy for Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Two experienced, registered mental health nurses from Arden & GEM’s Clinical Support team led a process of stakeholder engagement and policy development to put in place a harmonised Section 117 aftercare policy across the Black Country health and care system, which underpins clinical practice and ensures service users are offered access to support which meet their needs.
Specialist training for health and justice services on NHS continuing healthcare and fast-track referrals
Arden & GEM’s clinical support team was engaged to design and deliver a specialist training programme to provide prison healthcare staff with a clearer understanding of NHS continuing healthcare and increased knowledge of the decision-making processes.
Implementing a Population Health Management methodology across Lincolnshire Integrated Care System
Arden & GEM’s clinical support team has provided expertise and experience in project management, business management and clinical engagement to help the Lincolnshire ICS Population Health Management programme achieve its vision and goals, implementing a whole system approach to intelligence-led decision making.
Improving efficiency of the prior approval requests process through better use of Blueteq
NHS Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) engaged NHS Arden & GEM’s Clinical Support team to undertake a project which would streamline their prior approval request process, improve visibility of requests and maintain ongoing assurance.
Improving reporting process efficiencies for the NHS England Midlands Region specialised commissioning pharmacy team
The NHS England Midlands Region specialised commissioning pharmacy team agreed a package of support with Arden & GEM that would see the CSU’s medicines optimisation team provide additional capacity and capability in invoice validation, drugs challenges, contract meetings and commissioning query response.
CONTACT US
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