1. Patients Experience of GP Based Practice Pharmacists
#PCPA16
Heather Eardley,
Development Director

2. The Patients Association
Long established independent charity
Non-disease specific
Campaigning on patients and carers issues
Raised at our national Helpline
Work locally with NHS trusts/Clinical Commissioning Groups on projects to impact upon patient experience
Use of patient stories, feedback and reports

3. How the Patients Association listens to patients, helps find solutions and speaks up for change
We are a national independent non-disease specific health and social care campaigning charity that also works locally to improve experience of care
Working with NHS Trusts and other organisations across the country, we are able to speak up for change and help influence service improvement for the benefit of patients, carers, members of the public and staff. Our independence is very important in this.

4. Key aspects of our work Information Information Patient Involvement
Patients’ rights and responsibilities
NHS Constitution
Information
Patients’ rights and responsibilities
NHS Constitution
Patient
Involvement
Shared decision making at all levels
Individual to strategic
Move to co-production
Relationship of equals
Patient Experience
Independent
Gathering patient feedback independently
Improving complaints processes
Good practice standards
Complainants survey & benchmarking
Peer review

5. Examples of our projects with links to Francis report recommendations
Improving Dementia Care
Mystery shopper
Patient/Carer Perspective of Intentional Rounding
Meeting Patients Needs at Mealtimes
Patient Information Review
Observation audit in A&E 241
Shared decision making in medical training
Health information in primary care & libraries 4. 3.
GP checklist – NHS Constitution 3.
Community Reporting –films patient stories
CARE campaign and audit 160
Patient feedback on facilities
Patient information about medication 4.
Customer Care Training
Staff leadership 160
Observations – to understand quality of interaction between staff and patients
Carer Experience in the Emergency Department 109.
Identifying Carers’ Views and staff training
Introduction of Patient Experience Tracker
Patient feedback on Gynaecology Services
Council of governors training
Involving patients and carers in commissioning
Achieving compassion in practice - improving response times to patient needs using the 6Cs
Patient leaders and involving local community in owning their hospital ( Keogh review site)
Complaints improvements and outcomes
Review of electronic patient feedback systems
Review of lost property 109.
Discharge to care homes
National Audit of intermediate care – film 241
Unheard voices – care homes outreach
Discharge to escalation wards 129.
Ambassadors on Keogh and CQC review 58

6. Patient must be at the centre
NHS is under considerable strain
Increasing demands and reorganisations
Duty of candour and better regulation
Must be implemented properly
Frustrated callers call our helpline in despair 
Gap between commitments in the NHS Constitution and reality of being a patient
Never been more of a need to gather patient feedback and make use of it

7. Patient Participation Groups - benefits for GP practices
Requirement in GP Contract 2015/16
To gather views of local community
Breaks down barriers, builds understanding patient needs and staff limitations
Assist with Friends and Family Test
CQC Registration/inspection
Health Promotion and Information
A valuable resource to support the practice...from public health campaigns to fundraising
Projects in Devon and Cornwall /Waltham Forest

8. Project with PCPA
Aim
To gather feedback from patients and carers about their understanding and experience of pharmacists in GP practices
How?
Quantitative and qualitative survey of patients and carers across England and Wales

9. Timescales Survey currently being distributed So far… 273 respondents
Questions 5-18 – responses
Closing date end June
Please circulate widely
Early findings providing some useful information which I will outline next

10. Early findings.. Of the 273 respondents so far
77.3% felt a clinical pharmacist would be a positive addition to their surgery
Only 10.3% felt it wouldn’t be a positive addition
12.5% were unsure

11. Early findings Reviewing Medicines
78.4% would like a clinical pharmacist to review their medicines
Only 15% answered no
6.6% were unsure

12. Early findings
How often have you spoken to the clinical practice pharmacist in the last year?
Of those who responded
58.2% once,
28.2% more than once
13.6% no contact
And the reasons….
22% face to face review
19% question to ask
15% phone review
15% stated ‘other’

13. Early findings
57.5% felt confident in discussions about stopping medicine
21.3% felt strongly against this
12.5% had some confidence
8.8% were only slightly confident

14. Early findings Attitudes 78.8% felt welcomed,
12.1% answered yes but not fully,
6.1% felt slightly welcomed
Only 3% did not feel welcomed at all.
78.1% of respondents felt their clinical pharmacist showed a caring attitude
11.5% felt they did not fully show a caring attitude
8.3% felt their pharmacist showed a slightly caring attitude
2.1% didn’t feel their pharmacist showed a caring attitude.

15. Early findings Involvement
74.5% felt completely involved in discussions
14.3% felt somewhat involved
5.1% had little involvement
6.1% had no involvement.
Clinical Knowledge
75.5% of respondents felt fully confident that their pharmacist had good clinical knowledge
14.9% felt mostly confident
5.3% were slightly confident
4.3% were not at all confident.

16. Early findings
75% of respondents felt their questions were completely answered by their clinical pharmacist
14.6% answered ‘yes but not fully’
6.3% stated ‘slightly’
4.2% felt their questions weren’t answered.
83.3% stated they weren’t given an explanation on reporting medicines for patient safety
16.7% said they were given an explanation on this matter

17. Early findings Access to services
80.2% felt they had better access to services with a clinical pharmacist
19.8% felt it made no difference
Effect on making appointments
73.2% felt they didn’t have to make an appointment to see the GP after speaking with a clinical pharmacist
26.8% felt it made no difference with regards to making appointments with the GP

18. Examples of comments “Should be implemented all over.”
“There was an element of difficulty, and therefore repetition required, in understanding - due to language/accent challenges. Overall it was a positive interaction. However, older people might find it more difficult to understand what was being said.”
“In my former professional capacity I have seen how important it can be for a pharmacist to review medications, especially in relation to medications for mental health problems and elderly care where polypharmacy can do more harm than good.”
"This type of service would help patients to avoid the potential problems caused by taking multiple medications for different medical conditions”
“It would also reduce the cost to the surgery and the NHS as a whole - let’s try to avoid prescribing even more drugs especially if they are to resolve a problem caused by prescribed drugs!"

19. Summary
Clinical pharmacists have an important role to play in GP practices
Better understanding needed by patients of the role and function
Review of medications particularly useful
Reduces need to see GP
Need better explanation on reporting medicines for patient safety
Importance of involvement in reaching decisions about medication

20. Any Questions? www.patients-association.com Heather Eardley
Development Director
Helpline