Patients told to expect calls about medications

PHARMACY teams working in General Practice are contacting some patients to review their medications.

Calls will be made over the next few weeks as part of a drive to review medications that may no longer be doing much good — and in some cases could be quietly causing harm.

It is part of a broader push to ensure that every prescription is still appropriate and effective, and is in light of the health board's significant financial deficit.

Director of pharmacy Nikki Holmes said: “This is about doing what’s best for patients — and making sure we’re using medicines in a way that’s effective, safe and sustainable.

“Some people have been on the same treatment for some time, and we need to make sure this treatment is still the best for them.

“We’re looking at some specific medications where we know there’s a potential for them to be used when there’s perhaps no benefit.”

In particular, there's a focus on lidocaine patches, a pain relief product that is widely prescribed but may offer only limited or no benefit for many. As such, patients currently using the patches may be among the first to be contacted.

Nikki added: “This is about asking the right questions – ‘Is this working? Is it still needed? Is there something better? Should we try to stop it?’

“GP Pharmacy Team staff are experts in medicines, and they can help with that conversation.”