Pharmacotherapy Service
In NHS Lanarkshire, pharmacotherapy is another name for when pharmacists and other members of the Pharmacy Team work with GP practices to help with GP workload and the management of patients’ medicines.
The Pharmacotherapy service covers three areas:
Medicines management – includes managing prescription requests and running clinics.
Pharmacotherapy hubs – there are 10 hubs across Lanarkshire, which process hospital discharge letters and outpatient letters.
Medication reviews – patients have the opportunity to discuss their medications with a member of the pharmacy team and be involved in any decisions about stopping medication (sometimes called a polypharmacy review).
Medication reviews
Anyone who takes five or more medications regularly is eligible for a medication review with a clinical practice pharmacist. The review is an informal chat that covers:
- Knowing what your medicine is for
- Learning about side-effects
- Different medication options
- Taking charge of your health
Medication reviews are important to make sure the medicines prescribed are still safe and effective. Patients can develop side-effects over time and long-term conditions may change, meaning the medication may not be right anymore. Patients are involved in all conversations and it is very much a shared decision-making process.
People who are eligible for a medication review may be contacted by a member of their GP practice team, to arrange an appointment.
For information on how the Pharmacotherapy model was implemented in Lanarkshire, visit our professional-to-professional page.
