Local insight showed frustrations around avoidable delays getting home from hospitals linked to people receiving their medication on discharge.
In response, health and care leaders have ensured further investment in a ‘Pharmacy on Wheels’ concept. Since launching, the scheme has realised some incredible benefits for patients, their families, and nurses, as well as a range of other associated advantages.
A trial has demonstrated a reduction in the time it takes a patient to be discharged from 150 to 30 minutes, resulting in more people being discharged before 3pm. Consequently, patient experience has greatly improved helping people go home in daylight hours and much less likely to be readmitted.
People in all three hospital sites have benefitted, saving around 48 hours of nursing time per day which can be spent on providing direct patient care. The scheme also releases nine beds per day on average which all equates to notional efficiency savings of just under £953,000 per year.