20 August 2019
We are delighted to announce that the National Polypharmacy Prescribing Comparators have been shortlisted for a Patient Safety Award at this year’s HSJ Awards, recognising the outstanding contribution to healthcare.
The judging panel, made up of a diverse range of highly influential and respected figures within the healthcare community, shortlisted Wessex AHSN despite the tough competition from hundreds of excellent applicants. We were selected based on our 'ambition, visionary spirit and the demonstrable positive impact that their project has had on patient and staff experiences' within the health and social care sector.
The AHSN is leading the way in using existing national prescribing data to tackle problematic polypharmacy.
Patients on 10 or more medicines are over three times more likely to be admitted to hospital. 70% of hospital admissions for adverse drug reactions could be avoided if problematic polypharmacy is addressed, so the use of this dataset is now central to clinicians trying to address polypharmacy and benefit the patients at greatest risk.
We led the work programme with the NHS Business Services Authority, and experts from around the country to link the NHS Number to the medicines prescribed, creating the first national polypharmacy dataset in England. Using this data set, GP practices and CCGs can compare different indicators of polypharmacy on a national scale as well as local, supporting NHS England in its contribution to the WHO global challenge to address polypharmacy as a major cause of medication errors.
These comparisons enable clinicians to identify patients most at risk from adverse effects of polypharmacy. Since their launch, Wessex AHSN has worked with local stakeholders to support meaningful use of the NHS BSA Polypharmacy Prescribing Comparators. In North East Hampshire and Farnham CCG, GPs, Clinical Pharmacists and the Medicines Management Team including the Care Homes Pharmacist have used the comparators to undertake 800 medication reviews and 250 interventions to reduce the average number of medicines per patient from 9.4 to 7.6.
Bill Gillespie, CEO at Wessex AHSN comments, “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for the Patient Safety Award, recognising the collaborative efforts of all involved to successfully implement and promote the use of the NHS BSA National Polypharmacy Prescribing Comparators. Those, such as North East Hampshire and Farnham CCG, using the comparators to review medications can make a real difference to patients and we are now seeing the evidence of this approach. We are committed to delivering improved outcomes for our patients, and to be chosen among the other incredible nominees is a wonderful achievement."
HSJ editor Alistair McLellan, comments “We would like to congratulate Wessex AHSN on being nominated in the category of Patient Safety Award ahead of this year’s 2019 HSJ awards. We are looking forward to welcoming them to the ceremony in November, to join us in recognising the very best achievements and innovations in the healthcare sector. The entrants this year have been of incredible calibre, and each of the finalists in this category have been chosen based on their outstanding commitment to excellence in healthcare.”
The full list of nominees for the 2019 HSJ awards (partnered by GRI) can be found on https://awards.hsj.co.uk/2019-shortlist.
Winners will be selected ahead of the 2019 HSJ awards ceremony, which is due to be held at the Battersea Evolution Centre, London on 6 November.
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