Suggested actions to support implementation of self-care policy

Mid notts/midnotts self-care March 17

Promoting the message to patients Display the ‘helping you to help yourself’ A4 colour poster(s)/ leaflet on reception Practice to consider how they can promote awareness e.g. make a big display of the

coloured posters re self-care, use of video/media board to communicate message re self-care – share ideas between practices how are others practices utilising the media board?

Display in every consultation room The ‘helping you to help yourself’ A4 colour poster/ leaflet – A Pharmacy First leaflet and Pharmacy First exclusion criteria Guidance on over the counter medicines for self-care MA & NS adapted hay fever information leaflet

Ask every clinician, who prescribe for a minor illness, to show the patient the display material and advice that they are asking patients to visit the community pharmacy for advice and to either purchase what they are recommending, or obtain treatment under the Pharmacy First scheme.

Prescribing team are in the process of making community pharmacies aware of the self- care policy

Informing patients – the following can be considered Where the practice use a phone message consider the changing the message over the

summer to include something around, “Please be advised we no longer prescribe items for minor illness, that you can buy or obtain from your local pharmacy. If you think you need an appointment for a minor illness we are asking you visit your local chemist for advice and possibly treatment either through buying medicines or obtaining them under the Pharmacy First scheme”. Or similar message. This message is similar to the one already in existence re antibiotic prescribing.

A member of the prescribing team could remove any hay fever preparations not ordered since 30 April 2016 from the repeat management system, excluding POM preparations – please discuss this with the prescribing team.

Remove all loratadine, cetirizine, beconase/beclometasone  (etc) and sodium cromoglicate from repeat system where it is clearly for hay fever only (leave the other indications for the time being) and either Prescription clerks issue 1 last prescription from acute with a one off script

message, e.g. “All practices across Mansfield and Ashfield are no longer allowed to prescribe items for self-care that can be purchased. Please note this is the last prescription you will receive. In future you will need to buy the item or visit your local chemist who may be able to provide medication under the Pharmacy First scheme”. So that the patient gets some notice for next time.

Or add the above  message to all prescriptions from now and send SMS / letters to

patients with a hay fever diagnosis advising them of the change.The prescribing team linked to the practice can support with the above two actions.

Where items for self-care (initially hay fever preps listed above) are requested on acute consider whether it would be appropriate to agree that 1 last prescription will be given but with a script note added using the words similar to those in bullet point 3 above.

Discuss with the prescribing team, adding reminders to the home page wording similar to – “hay fever preparations are not to be prescribed”. Patients will need to buy the item or signposted to community pharmacy for treatmentnder Pharmacy First if eligible.

Consider putting a message concerning self-care on all prescriptions (e.g as per flu vaccination message)

A self-care template will be made available for practice to use (see screen shots) which will allow leaflets to be printed off as part of the patient consultation. Patient can then be instructed to take the leaflet to the community pharmacy. Use of the template will allow entry of read code XaNo1, advised to self-care into the patient’s journal entry.

Mid notts/midnotts self-care March 17

Script note identifying no longer able to prescribe items for self-care

Recurrent script note

Resources are available on clinical pathways web page medicines management /prescribing