NHS England launches medicines optimisation prototype dashboard
NHS England today (12 June) launches the Medicines Optimisation Prototype Dashboard, designed to encourage CCGs and trusts to think more about how well their patients are supported to use medicine and less about focusing on cost and volume of drugs.
The prototype dashboard brings together in one place data from across sectors in areas such as medication safety, uptake of NICE approved medicines and utilisation of community pharmacy services.
Medicines play a crucial role in maintaining health, preventing illness, managing chronic conditions and curing disease.
Up to 50% of medicines are not taken as intended and between five and eight per cent of all unplanned hospital admissions are due to medication issues. This figure rises to 17% in the over 65s age group.
Medicines waste is a significant issue – £300 million in primary care alone, about half of which is avoidable.
CCGs and Trusts can work together to agree how to use this dashboard locally.
Local Professional Networks and Academic Health Science Networks should also use this data in their collaboration with patients, CCGs, Trusts and the pharmaceutical industry to support local improvement.
Clare Howard, Deputy Chief Pharmaceutical Officer for NHS England, said: “Medicines optimisation is about ensuring that the right patients get the right choice of medicine, at the right time. It is important for the patient, the prescriber, the NHS and the taxpayer that the patient derives the greatest benefit that medicines have to offer.”
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