Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Bid to shift from medicines
PEOPLE across Tayside are being told not to see medicines as the “first port of call” when they fall ill.
NHS Tayside Board has discussed a new way of prescribing, with the emphasis on social prescribing and a shift away from always relying on medicines.
It is hoped the change will make prescribing safer, more effective and person-centred.
Speaking at the board meeting David Coulson, director of pharmacy at NHS Tayside, said: “We don’t want people to think medicine is the first port of call.
“It is so easy to write a prescription for someone when they could be signposted to something different like a gardening club or a walking club.
“The challenge now is to make it easier for practitioners to signpost people to the right thing.”
As well as social prescribing, the new strategy would mean medication was regularly reviewed as well.
Dr Alison Clement, GP and associate medical director of Angus Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “We need to make sure every medicine is prescribed with the best clinical evidence behind that decision.
“And we need to make sure we review medicines regularly to make sure we are prescribing safely.
“Social prescribing is everyone’s responsibility and we need to support it to ensure appropriate opportunities are available to everyone.
“There are now social prescribers in every GP practice so we have the start of a network across Tayside.
“I would say the hearts and minds have definitely been won but we do have some yet to win over.
“Some people will come with the view ‘this is what my consultant recommended 10 years ago and now I’m being told that is wrong’.”
In a report on prescribing practices presented at the meeting, an emphasis was placed on trying to create a healthier community rather than coming up with a better way to treat an unhealthy population.
Professor Peter Stonebridge, medical director at NHS Tayside, said: “We are increasingly aware that medicines alone may not achieve the best health outcomes.
“That requires people working in partnership with us to maintain their own health and wellbeing.
“On many occasions, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking and following the advice on drinking alcohol will provide additional benefit to that achieved from simply depending on prescribed medication.
“For a growing number of conditions we know that to achieve the best possible health we need to take advantage of the wide range of help and support available in our communities.
“This is on a background of many prescribed medicines being effective. However, some people may experience unpleasant or even serious side effects, particularly when taking many different medicines.
“This strategy should be owned by our population and, through engaging with our local communities and with clinicians across our healthcare professions, we aim to shape the best healthcare system in Scotland.
“This is an opportunity to realise long-term change and I look forward to contributing to the delivery of this strategy and further improving the health of our population.”