The Royal College of Pharmacy (RCPharm) is urging the government to make better use of pharmacists’ expertise to help reduce corridor care, improve patient flow and ease pressure on emergency departments (ED).

In a letter to the Health Minister Karin Smyth, Professor Mahendra Patel OBE, chair of RCPharm’s English Pharmacy Advisory Council, outlined a series of targeted actions that could help prevent avoidable hospital admissions and improve patient outcomes.

Pharmacists working across hospitals, primary care and community pharmacy regularly see the impact of corridor care, including missed doses of time-critical medicines, the impact of reduced privacy on the ability to take a person’s medication history, lack of safe and appropriate storage of medicines, and ED holding different medications to wards.

Professor Mahendra Patel said:

“Medicine-related harm remains a significant cause of hospital admissions. By making better use of pharmacists’ clinical expertise, particularly in identifying and supporting people taking multiple medicines or high-risk treatments, we can help prevent avoidable admissions and improve patient care.”

Admissions from adverse drug reactions are estimated to account for 16.5% of total hospital admissions¹ with an annual cost to the NHS of £2.21bn.

The letter calls for urgent measures to help tackle corridor care, including:

• Ensuring senior pharmacists within hospital trusts are involved in planning and decision-making on patient flow and corridor care;
• Prioritising medicines reviews in those patients who are most likely to reattend ED due to adverse drug events (i.e. those taking multiple medicines or higher risk medicines such as anticoagulants, insulin and opioids);
• Expanding patient access to pharmacist-led post discharge medicines reviews to reduce avoidable deterioration, falls and medicines related readmissions. 

“As the NHS in England undergoes significant organisational change, it is essential that pharmacy leadership remains embedded throughout the system. Ensuring the best use of medicines is fundamental to improving patient outcomes, reducing pressure on emergency departments and delivering better value for the NHS,” added Professor Patel.

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Reference

1. Osanlou R, Walker L, Hughes DA, et al. Adverse drug reactions, multimorbidity and polypharmacy: a prospective analysis of 1 month of medical admissions. BMJ Open 2022;12:e055551. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-055551

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