NHS Leeds North Clinical Commissioning Group and Community Pharmacy West Yorkshire this week launched the ‘Making Time’ project, aimed at making sure people with learning disabilities get the best service they can from their local pharmacy.
The project was set up after listening to the views of people who are currently using Learning Disability Care services, and is a joint development between the NHS, Leeds City Council and Community Pharmacy West Yorkshire.
This pilot scheme will initially run for 18 months in 24 pharmacies across the south and west of the city, supporting around 200 individuals. It is known that people with a learning disability have a shorter life expectancy than the general population and suffer greater complexities with health issues, often requiring additional support to fully understand important points about prescriptions and routines for managing a medical condition.
Through creating new relationships with the teams in pharmacies, the ‘Making Time’ project will ensure people living with a learning disability are given more time when visiting their pharmacy. This is expected to help with the identification of new conditions and ensuring that the correct medicines are being dispensed and used in the best possible way.
The Making Time project has also developed new ‘easy read’ literature, to help people with learning disabilities understand their medications and how to take them. The pharmacies involved have been through training to become part of the Leeds City Council Safe Places Scheme and have individual rooms for private consultations.
Norman Campbell, Commissioning Manager Learning Disabilities & Autism for the NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups in Leeds said:
“The Making Time project is an innovative and ground breaking development to improve the health and wellbeing of people with learning disabilities and is another example of Leeds leading the way nationally on improving services for people with Learning Disabilities.
Developed from the experiences of people when using community pharmacies, ‘Making Time’ is about making sure that pharmacy services can offer the ‘person centered’ service that people with a learning disability really need to stay safe and well.”
Robbie Turner, CEO Community Pharmacy West Yorkshire said “’Making Time’ presents an exciting collaborative opportunity for us to make a difference in helping people with learning disabilities to lead healthier lives. Working in partnership with people with learning disabilities has helped us recognise how much better we can make their care through the use of their local pharmacy teams”
Copies of the easy read leaflets are available to download below:
What is a Community Pharmacy leaflet 2015
What is a Making Time Pharmacy?
When and how to take your medication
Your medicine
Antibiotics Medication Leaflet
Anticonvulsant Medication Leaflet
Antidepressant Medication Leaflet
Antipsychotic Medication Leaflet