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Medicines optimisation in care homes

We provide specialist support to those working in a care home about the use of medicines.

Our team helps to improve the quality and safety of medicines use for care home residents.

We work in collaboration and support:

  • care home residents and staff
  • Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
  • GP practices and primary care network staff
  • community services
  • Buckinghamshire Council.

Who provides the service?

The Medicines Optimisation in Care Homes (MOCH) team includes pharmacists and technicians from Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

What the team does

We provide:

  • complex clinical post hospital discharge reviews and recommend individual resident medication procedures
  • a medicines management system and process reviews in collaboration with the care home
  • support for care home providers and staff to improve medicines safety, as well as safeguarding concerns
  • education and training to improve system wide medicines management processes for care homes and key stakeholders.

Referrals

These must come from a registered health care professional from:

  • one of the departments in our hospitals
  • GPs
  • primary care
  • community health and social care professionals.

We don’t accept self-referrals.

Complete the relevant referral form and email it to bht.carehomereview@nhs.net

Guidance information

 

Nutrition: see our community dietitians page for resources for care home staff (under the heading ‘information for healthcare professionals’).

 

Administration of specific medicines:

  1.  Best practice guidance for inhalers in care homes
  2. Good practice guidance for care homes: administration of warfarin
  3.  Tips to improve skincare in care homes
  4. Good practice guidance for transdermal patches in care homes

Medication processes in care homes:

  1.  Good practice guidance on homely remedies in care homes
  2. Covert medicines guidance
  3.  Good practice guidance for refrigerated medicines in care homes
  4.  Medications prescribed ‘when required’ (PRN)
  5.  Reducing medicines/dressings/appliances waste in care homes
  6.  Monthly medication ordering process for proxy access users (online ordering)
  7. Proxy access ease of setup and the benefits for both care homes and GP practices
  8.  Monthly medication ordering process
  9.  Medicines reconcilliation – accurately listing a resident’s medicine

Medication in care homes guidance:

  1. Medicines and falls risk in care homes – information is currently under review
  2.  Controlled drugs discrepancy reporting procedure in care homes
  3.  Good practice guidance for controlled drugs
  4.  Switching from monitored dosage systems to original packs
  1.  Referral to Medicines Review in care homes service form
  2. CARE HOME dieticians referral form

Contact us

bht.carehomereview@nhs.net
bht.carehomereview@nhs.net

Monday to Friday, 9 to 5pm