Pillar 2: Polypharmacy Education & Training

What's happening in Wessex?

Wessex Polypharmacy Pilot Action Learning Set (ALS) was developed by Health Innovation Wessex and supported by Health Education England (HEE). The ALS further developed the Yorkshire and Humber research to understand the barriers and enablers to healthcare practitioners stopping inappropriate medicines safely. 

The pilot included five cohorts and was evaluated by Cindy Brooks (research fellow) and Dr Catherine Matheson (senior research fellow) at the Centre for Implementation Science, University of Southampton. This evaluation was published in BMC Medical Education June 2022 - read the article in full here. 

The key findings of this evaluation are that the Polypharmacy ALS contributed to:

• Short and longer-term improvement of attendees confidence, perceptions and experiences of stopping inappropriate medicines
• Change in perceptions around stopping inappropriate medicines safely
• Use of knowledge, information and tools about stopping inappropriate medicine safely
• Shared decision making about stopping inappropriate medicines safely with patients
• Shared decision making about stopping inappropriate medicines safely with colleagues
• Understanding the role of institutional factors in shaping decision making about stopping inappropriate medicines
• Providing a better understanding of why medicines that are not clinically appropriate are not always stopped

Other key findings from the pre and post survey included:

• 85% of respondents reported that the ALS met their expectations
• 73% reported that there was nothing they did not understand during the ALS
• 97% of respondents reported that they would recommend the ALS to colleagues

HEE South Polypharmacy ALS

Following the University of Southampton evaluation, HEE South funded a further 9 cohorts across Wessex, Oxford, Southwest and West of England HIN.  

To date over 400 delegates have completed the Polypharmacy ALS.  Health Innovation Wessex have continued to measure outcomes and delegate positivity has been retained:

• 86% delegates reported that the ALS completely or exceeded their expectations
• 75% delegates had started to make changes to their practice by the end of day three of the ALS (e.g. shared decision making with patients about stopping medicines or working with colleagues to address polypharmacy in their practice)
• 43% of delegates have made use of information and e-learning to help them make decisions about stopping medicines 

Each ALS is split into three half day sessions which typically run over two months with facilitators from the region such as local geriatricians and NICE associates.  Delegates are required to attend all three sessions and complete homework in-between.  ALS sessions are advertised locally and delegates are encouraged to attend according to their local geography.

To find out more or sign up to a course please email weahsn.polypharmacyprogramme@nhs.net