Services Database Out of Hours Pharmacy Supply of Palliative Care Drugs (Heywood, Middleton & Rochdale Area)

Aims and objectives of service
The aim of the service is to support anticipatory prescribing and allow rapid access to medicines commonly prescribed in palliative and end of life care, to enable a greater percentage of patients to spend their final hours or days at home if they so choose, rather than a transition to an institution such as a hospital against their wishes. By establishing a small network of pharmacies that will routinely hold stock of the main end of life medicines. Carers and other health care professionals should not experience delays in obtaining medicines for the patients that they are caring for.

The commissioned pharmacy contractor(s) will stock the agreed formulary of palliative care medicines (as specified below) and will make a commitment to ensure that users of this
service have prompt access to these medicines during their contracted opening hours. The pharmacy will also be able to provide specialist information and advice to the user, carer and clinician. They may also sign post to specialist centres, support groups or other health and social care professionals where appropriate to do so.

This will aim to provide equitability for patients choosing their home environment for End-of-Life Care and to reduce the need for out of hours access to drugs, with the ultimate aim of providing the best level of End of Life care.

Pharmacists providing this service must have completed the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) distance learning pack on Palliative Care (2006) and provided evidence of completion.