Multiples' COPD service improves inhaler technique
A COPD project spearheaded by the four largest multiples improved the inhaler technique of two thirds of patients and saved the NHS money, an academic analysis has found.
The Community Pharmacy Future (CPF) project - launched by Boots, Lloydspharmacy, Co-operative Pharmacy and Rowlands in September 2012 - targeted 306 patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the Wirral. More than 99 per cent of patients received inhaler advice, which resulted in a change of inhaler technique for 68 per cent, according to an evaluation carried out by researchers at the University of East Anglia.
Just under a fifth of patients across 34 pharmacies were referred to their GP following a consultation with a pharmacist, researchers found in an analysis of the six-month service published in the International Journal of Pharmacy Practice last month (November 20). More than a third of patients received smoking cessation advice and a fifth received advice on diet and nutrition, the researchers said.
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Each intervention saved the NHS an estimated £88 by reducing use of GP, A&E and hospital services.This indicated "good value for money" in relation to Nice criteria, the researchers said. The "significant improvement in quality of life" the service gave patients suggested community pharmacy-led COPD services could provide "positive patient outcomes", they added. Lloydspharmacy head of external affairs and member of the CPF management committee Clare Kerr said the evaluation had produced "tangible benefits" for patients. The project team was "very pleased" its work had contributed a "robust addition" to the evidence base to support more services being commissioned from community pharmacies, she said on Wednesday (December 5). As part of the service, some patients were also advised to obtain a "rescue pack" containing steroids and antibiotics to prevent chest infections. Ms Kerr said knowing when to use these packs gave patients "greater confidence that they were in control of their own health". The CPF project team said the service also improved flu vaccination levels, with 97 per cent of patients getting their jabs compared to a regional average of 75 per cent. An initial financial analysis of the CPF service in February carried out by health economics firm IMS Health, found that it could save the NHS £473 million a year if it was rolled out nationally.
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