PCT are Country’s Biggest Improvers in Statin Prescribing

NHS

Rising through the ranks, Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust have taken criticism on the chin and turned things around to be named the country’s ‘most improved’ PCT for statin prescribing.

In just six months time the Medicines Management Team had discarded their ‘least efficient in England’ reputation to emerge out on top thanks to a range of original tactics they used to improve efficient statin prescribing rates from 19% to 50% in the last quarter of the year.

Statins are drugs which reduce blood cholesterol levels in patients who have been identified with a long term condition such as heart disease, diabetes or respiratory disease and also used a preventative therapy in those patients at risk of developing these diseases.

The NHS in England spent £8.2 billion on prescription drugs in primary care in 2006 – about £22 million every day, and 98% of these drugs are prescribed by GPs.

New opportunities for improving health through medication are continuously being identified, which increases the number of drugs being prescribed to patients and Rochdale Borough’s ageing population will also likely contribute to increase the number of drugs being taken by patients in the future.

Since the majority of medicines are prescribed by local family doctors the PCT has been working hard with these GPs on the choice of drugs they will prescribe their patients. A range of factors such as their own clinical assessment of the patient, effectiveness of different drugs and the cost to the NHS were explored because every pound saved on medicines cpuld be reinvested to improve healthcare for the local community.

The PCT employed pharmacy technicians to work in GP practices to assist in switching patients medication to the low cost statins. The PCT also notified each patient by letter explaining why their medication has been altered in line with new government policy.

Other steps taken included; introducing a prescribing incentive scheme, undertaking extensive benchmark research and engagement with partners in the hospitals both locally and across Greater Manchester.

To date hundreds of patients have switched their medication to the low cost statins saving the PCT releasing close to £250,000 every year that could be reinvested into improving local healthcare services in many different ways.

Vivienne Ben David, Head of Primary Care and Professional Lead for Pharmacy in Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Primary Care Trust said: "The NHS’s ‘Better Care, Better Value’ indicator for efficient statin prescribing was launched in September 2006 and criticised Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT’s statin prescribing rates. The initial success of local programmes aimed to address statin prescribing issues have redeemed the organisation and it has been a real team effort to make such dramatic achievements in such a small amount of time. We strongly believe the new procedures put in place continue to ensure use of effective and safe medicines for our patients and at the same time we can use the savings made in prescribing to further develop healthcare services for our local population.”