Supporting Medicines Optimisation Across Interfaces of Care

This presentation will share details of the pathway for medicines support across Lewisham to include both the successful integrated medicines optimisation service in Lewisham (LIMOS) and the Clinical Handover Scheme between hospital and primary care pharmacy settings. The LIMOS service is delivered by a team of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to support high risk and housebound patients remain as independent as possible with their medicines. The service is integrated across both primary and secondary, and health and social care interfaces, with aim to ensure patients get the most from medicines, improve medication safety and ultimately reduce medicines related harm and avoid hospital admissions. The Clinical Handover service between hospital and community pharmacy settings has the same aims to improve safe transfers of care around medicines and work collaboratively to improve the adherence agenda. The two schemes integrate together to join up a pathway for medicines support in Lewisham.

Biography: During her career, Kath has worked in and across many pharmacy settings, and as such has built up experience and understanding of the many challenges around medicines across care interfaces. Undertaking her Masters degree in medicines adherence inspired her future career pathway into medicines optimisation services. After a role delivering a medication review service for the housebound elderly in Wandsworth, Kath worked for a number of years in the primary care setting developing clinical services including community pharmacy anticoagulation clinics and NHS health checks. She is now the Lead Pharmacist for the Lewisham Integrated Medicines Optimisation Service – which improves patient safety around medicines at both an individual patient and systems level across both the health and social care, and primary and secondary care interfaces.

Foundation Level.