Services Database Community Pharmacy Respiratory Advice to Care Homes

Elements of this service may be delivered by a member of staff (trained and accredited by Sheffield CCG) with suitable communication skills and an understanding of inhaler user techniques. Further elements of this service will require the clinical skills of the pharmacist.

The objectives of the service are to:

• deliver interventions to improve patient care by:
  • reduction in excessive reliever use;
  • an appropriate use of preventer (ICS) use;
  • confirmation that patients are prescribed and can use the appropriate device for their inhalation ability;
  • all patients on an MDI device are co-prescribed a spacer device;
  • awareness of appropriate maintenance/cleaning of inhaler devices, including spacer; and
  • encourage uptake of seasonal flu immunization and smoking cessation support.
• improve the knowledge in the use of inhalers by care homes staff;
• capture the benefit of utilizing the clinical skills of the community pharmacist;
• share information to facilitate and co-ordinate the patient’s respiratory care between the patient’s general practice, medicines management team, dispensing pharmacy and care home; and
• facilitate signposting into the appropriate service eg pulmonary rehabilitation, smoking cessation.

A second visit to the care home should occur three months after the first visit to review outcome of patient interventions and staff training.

Pharmacists and other pharmacy staff delivering this service will be required to attend one of the Sheffield CCG specialist respiratory training evenings and meet the necessary competency standards.