Medication Reviews

As specialists in Medication Reviews and Management, we provide a variety of clinical solutions to help you manage medication and optimise your patient care. Our team of experts will work closely with you to provide rapid delivery of structured medication reviews to ensure your monitoring, review dates, and QOF alerts are properly aligned. Partner with us for a comprehensive solution to your medication needs.

Accreditations and Partners

Each practice is unique. Therefore we offer multiple types of medication review services, including:

Overview

Polypharmacy reviews
Prescribing quality audits
Prescribing Safety audits
Therapy reviews
Medicines Optimisation
Medicines Reconciliation

Medication service

Polypharmacy Reviews

Our team helps conduct detailed reviews of patients’ medications to ensure effectiveness and safety. We address complex regimens, especially for chronic diseases, specifically with the prescribing or taking of too many medicines.

Prescribing quality audits

These audits have been developed to promote antibiotic prescribing in line with current guidelines, supporting medical clinicians in promoting quality improvement by reviewing antimicrobial prescribing within their set up and practice.

Prescribing safety audits

These audits look at and provide general practices to identify patients at risk from prescribing errors by conducting audits using prescribing safety indicators

Therapy Reviews

Holistic review of the patient’s entire treatment plan, including medications, lifestyle changes, and other therapeutic interventions.
Recommendations for improving therapy efficacy by modifying treatments based on the latest clinical guidelines and patient responses.
Regular updates to therapy plans, taking into account new clinical evidence, patient preferences, and evolving health conditions.
Close collaboration with healthcare teams to ensure seamless integration of treatment strategies.

Medicines Optimisation

Medicines optimisation is a patient focused approach, looking at the value which medicines deliver, making sure they are clinically-effective and cost-effective. It is about ensuring people get the best possible choice of medicines, at the right time, and are engaged in the process by their clinical team.

Medicines Reconciliation

Medicines reconciliation is the process of identifying an accurate list of a patient’s current medicines (including over-the-counter and complementary medicines) and carrying out a comparison of these with the current list in use, recognising any discrepancies, and documenting any changes. It also takes into account the current health of the patient and any active or long-standing issues.

Pendle West PCN - Structured Medication Reviews (SMR)

Background

Client: Pendle West Primary Care Network
Service Provider: National Clinical Services
Project Duration: 6 months
Objective: Complete 2,000 Structured Medication Reviews (SMRs)

Pendle West PCN aimed to improve patient safety and optimise medication use by conducting 2,000 SMRs within six months. They commissioned National Clinical Services (NCS) to carry out this task.

Approach

NCS deployed two full-time pharmacists (WTE) who worked both remotely and face-to-face across six GP practices. The pharmacists operated five days a week, ensuring a comprehensive and consistent review process.

Outcomes

Completion Time: The 2,000 SMRs were completed by the end of month five, a full month ahead of schedule.
Interventions: 95% of the reviews led to clinical interventions, resulting in improved patient outcomes through optimised medication management.
Medication Compliance: A 90% increase in medication compliance was observed, demonstrating better adherence to prescribed treatments by patients.
De-prescribing: 70% of the reviews involved de-prescribing, with a significant reduction in the use of opioids and analgesics, improving patient safety and reducing dependency risks.

Conclusion

National Clinical Services exceeded expectations by completing the SMR target ahead of time while achieving notable improvements in medication compliance and de-prescribing. This project demonstrated NCS’s ability to deliver high-quality healthcare services across multiple practices efficiently.

ICBs
PCNs
35 Pharmacists

Don’t just take our word for it…

Kerry Practice Manager

“As Practice Manager, I want to express my gratitude to Yasin Patel for his invaluable support in establishing our remote Minor Illnesses Clinic. His professional service has been instrumental in addressing staffing challenges and providing additional coverage when needed. The clinically proven approach has significantly alleviated pressures on our team. Thank you, Yasin!”

Kerry - Practice Manager

Frequently asked questions

How much ARRS funding can a PCN benefit from?

A PCN is allocated a sum for an entire year based on its weighted population share of the total ARRS funding.

Although PCNs are able to claim up to this maximum sum each year, an underspend has commonly been reported.

From 1 October 2024, PCNs will be able to claim up to £65,838 (annual equivalent) per ARRS clinical pharmacist working at band 7-8a.

In outer London, this rises to £73,189, and £76,313 in inner London.

How much is the ARRS funding?

Funding for the new ARRS GP roles has been calculated at £1.303 multiplied by the PCN’s weighted population as of the start of 2024.

According to NHS England, the overall value of the ARRS in 2023/24 is in excess of £1billion.

The role of ARRS in primary care

According to NHS England, The ARRS scheme was introduced as a key part of the government’s manifesto commitment to improve access to general practice.

Through the scheme, primary care networks (PCNs) can claim reimbursement for the salaries (and some on costs) of 18 new roles within the multidisciplinary team selected to meet the needs of the local population.

By expanding general practice capacity, the scheme improves patient access, supports the delivery of new services, and widens the range of primary care services available.

How many ARRS roles are available?

There are around 18 roles available, including:

Clinical Pharmacist
Pharmacy Technician
Health and Well-being Coach
Dietician
Podiatrist
Paramedic
Adult Mental Health Practitioner
Children and Young People’s Mental Health Practitioner
Nursing Associate
Trainee Nursing Associate
Occupational Therapist
First-contact Physiotherapist
Care Co-ordinator
Physician Associate
Social Prescribing Link Worker
General Practice Assistant
Digital and Transformation Lead
Advanced Practitioner

What does the ARRS stand for in the NCS?

ARRS stands for The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme.

In August 2024, the government announced that £82 million of additional funding from the Department of Health and Social care budget would be used to enable changes to the ARRS scheme, which means that in 2024/25 it can be used to recruit newly qualified GPs into the NHS and practices will be reimbursed for their salary costs. However, this changes the nature of the scheme as it had been focused on ‘additional roles’ that broaden the skill mix and range of services available to patients in general practice rather than funding core GP roles.

Who are National Clinical Services and how can we help assist PCN’s with ARRS?

National Clinical Services (NCS) is an independent organisation that offers a range of services to support PCNs in utilising ARRS funding efficiently and effectively.

These services include managed clinical pharmacy services. Our experts and clinicians ensure that PCNs can seamlessly integrate additional roles, maximising the ARRS’s benefits and utilising funding to support recruitment across reimbursable roles.

How does the application process for ARRS funding work?

The application process involves PCNs identifying their needs and proposing how they intend to use the ARRS roles to enhance their services.

This proposal then needs to be submitted to their local Integrated Care Board (ICB) for approval. Find your local ICB here in the NHS England website

Who is eligible for ARRS funding?

Primary Care Networks (PCNs) within the NHS are eligible for ARRS funding.

Each PCN can apply for reimbursement for specific roles that align with their needs and meet the criteria set by NHS England.

What is a PCN?

PCN stands for Primary Care Network.

A Primary Care Network (PCN) is a group of GP practices that collaborate closely with other health and social care staff and organisations to deliver integrated services to their local community.

This model enhances the ability to provide comprehensive, coordinated care tailored to the specific needs of the population they serve.

Across England, there are around 1,250 PCNs covering populations of, on average, 50,000 people – although this varies significantly, with more than a third of PCNs covering more than 50,000 people. In some cases, a single practice that has met the size requirements of a network can also function as a network.

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