1. Medication in care homes
Social Care Workforce Research Unit and CPA
King’s College London
26 May 2011
Des Kelly OBE
Executive Director
National Care Forum

2. Developing an integrated approach to medication safety in care homes
Why this project now?
What care home staff say?
Aims and intended outcomes
Our approach and task groups
Success criteria

3. 1. Why this project now?

4. Why this project now? Following up CHUMS findings and recommendations
On-going quality concerns
Diversity of the sector and of advice
Lack of detailed practical standards

5. 2. What care home staff say?
The time it takes to manage and administer medicines
Receiving and logging medication
Interruptions
Understanding the purpose of medicines

6. What care home staff say?
Reviews
Disposal and spoilt medicines
Dealing with refusals
Understanding side effects

7. What care home staff say?
Drugs trolleys
Locums and out of hours support
Variable views about MDS
Self medication

8. What care home staff say?
Communication …
between the care home,
G.P.s, nurses and pharmacists

9. 3. Aims and intended outcomes
Sector-led
Multi-disciplinary: G.P.s; community pharmacists; care home managers and frontline staff
Practical
Cost effective

10. 4. Our approach Open Space principles of passion and responsibility
Without passion nobody is interested
Without responsibility nothing gets done

11. Our approach 5 initial ‘Task Groups’:
Improving multidisciplinary communications and relationships
Ensuring resident voice, choice and control
Leadership to change culture and practice
Staff development and support
Standards and guidance

12. Our approach Link to Health Foundation/Age UK work
Mapping related activity
Collecting information on resources and best practice
The role of technology

13. 5. Success criteria Reducing the number of adverse events
Reduction in incidence of A&E attendances, admissions and readmissions from care homes
Reduction in avoidable deaths
Reduction in incidence of complications such as infections

14. Success criteria
Improvements in the level of support to care homes by G.P.s and pharmacists
Improved levels of awareness and competence by staff in care homes
Greater engagement by residents and their families
Improved quality of care and support

15. And finally… “People who think they can and people who think they
can’t are both right”
Henry Ford