Staff in consumer medicine jobs could play a key role in helping to prevent medication errors in care homes, according to a new survey.
Midhurst Pharmacy in London has conducted a four-month trial at a 69-bed higher-dependence care home to initiate a pharmacist-led pharmaceutical intervention programme, reports Chemist + Druggist.
This saw pharmacy staff granted full responsibility for medicines management in order to try and help reduce mistakes relating to changes in dose, medication or out-of-date records.
It was found that a baseline rate of 69 errors was slashed to six during the trial period, representing a 91 per cent fall.
The news comes after repeated calls from the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) in recent months to grant staff in consumer medicine jobs a larger role in healthcare provision.
NPA chairman Ian Facer has stated that this will allow local pharmacies to build on their important position within communities.