LloydsPharmacy is piloting a new service that offers extra help and personalised support to mental health patients.
Ten branches of the chain in Greater Manchester are piloting the new AMPLIPHY service that provides personalised support to people who have been newly prescribed a medicine for depression or anxiety, or those who experienced a recent prescription change.
The programme is funded and designed by researchers from NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, a partnership between the University of Manchester and Salford Royal.
It focuses on the ability of patients to lead the direction of support they receive.
Professor Darren Ashcroft, Deputy Director of the NIHR Greater Manchester PSTRC, said: “The NIHR Greater Manchester PSTRC focuses on improving patient safety across four themes which include Medication Safety and Mental Health. AMPLIPHY covers two of these areas and we believe it has the potential to make a difference to patients, by providing enhanced support for their care in the community”.
As part of the service, a pharmacist will discuss the medication with the patient during the initial consultation including how to deal with potential side effects. This will follow a second meeting seven to 14 days, and then a every time the patient picks up a prescription in the first three months of treatment.
The aim is to recruit 12 people into the service in each of the 10 pharmacies, generating a sample group of at least 100 patients.
“We’re excited to be involved in a partnership that is helping to improve the lives of people living with mental health conditions,” said Gary Pickering, Professional Support Manager at McKesson UK.
“Pharmacists see patients regularly and already offer advice on medications. They are ideally placed to provide support and counselling for mental health patients and to help make sure their treatment is as effective as possible. It’s essential that we use this pilot as an opportunity to listen and to learn so we can find out what people want and expect from their interactions with pharmacists,” he added.
The pilot is set to run until April 2020 and its impact will be evaluated before a decision is made on the next steps.
Sukhi Basra