Pharmacists

How bizarre! I cannot imagine why they may refuse other than they do not have a budget to 'buy' the resources used to package blisters?

Would it be worth contacting the GP surgery of the patient prior to discharge and finding out which pharmacist the patient will be using after discharge - getting them to dispense the medication into blisters would be easier as community chemists are used to doing so. I imagine the only sticking point will be who's budget the medication comes from? (*groan*).......................

I think there is a whole other arguemnt going on currently about care agencies and dispensing meds involving all sorts of official bodies including CQC - Im afraid I would rather dispence medication from original packaging any day!

I'm a CCP and recently reviewed a customer in the community that was having meds dispensed by a care agency from a blister pack - there was a dispersible aspirin in with other meds and when I asked the customer how the carers dealt with that, the customer was completely unaware...........the carers hadnt taken notice of the blister pack instructions either. I took this issue up with the agency who told me they didnt look at the meds; just dispense them............where is the sense in that? if carers are trained to dispense meds in the community the same as staff are trained in residential care homes then mis-administration and bad practice like that would not happen.

I resolved the situation by discussing with the GP and getting the type of aspirin changed.

I believe the whole issue of using blister-packs/dossette systems is still a thorny one. It may partly be due to budgetery restraints but this is usually overcome. In some areas of the country there has been an over-use of blister packs where carers " administer" to clients/patients. Current thinking in this part of Scotland is that these packs are ideal when a patient is able directly to use them without intervention from a third party. They are most helpful when all prescribed medications are in a suitable format for insertion into these packs. Unfortunately, along with creams and lotions, liquids and many very specific foil wrapped capsules, you can land up with blister packs, packs of individual meds etc all having to be used. It is becoming more evident, where carers assist with the giving of medications, that original packaging is safer, although some training is required, and yet another thorn in the budget holders side! Secondary dispensing can be fraught with difficulties and more thought must go into this area of care. I am sure we will hear lots of pro's and cons for the use of blister packs etc.

Or maybe not!

I think it depends where you work and some ..not all carers can be easily distructed on the day to day event in thier own home and can easily over dose or under dose an individual.I work in a Respite Unit for Elderly, and one of our policy for the guest is that when they come in ,they will need a blister pack for thier Medication. Normally when they have been discharged from the hospital they always come in to us with boxes of medication.It 'is very time consuming as we have to count every single tablet on admission and out of the premises, and we really would appreciate if they are in blister pack as it would save the time , hazzle and hand contact of the tablets. to cut the story short , you can ask the family to get the medication taken to thier Local Pharmacy and they will normally put them in the blister pack for you, or better to get the whole Px and they will do it with no charge.Hospital should not refuse to put medication in the blister pack as it is helping an individual to maintain thier independence in a safer way. Do the hospital Promote "Person Centred Care" or maybe not.... I rest my case!!!!

Hi just to make you aware that Boots the chemist do dispense in blister packs and also in medisure packs. We are a HWC unit so run on the same principles as domaciliary care. Never had a problem with them so might be worth giving them a try