Monitored Dosage Systems
West of England Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) resources to support appropriate use of Medicines Compliance Aids (MCAs)
The West of England Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) working collaboratively with stakeholders have published a series of free resources to support appropriate use of Medicines Compliance Aids (MCAs), through promotion of the range of reasonable adjustments and how assessments for adjustments should be undertaken.
Resources can be used by health professionals and to educate patients, carers and families:
- Patient Equality Act Assessment for Medication Reasonable Adjustment standardised assessment form (portrait). Landscape format is also available on our website.
- Patient Equality Act Assessment for Medication Reasonable Adjustment decision tree infographic poster
- Health care professionals video animation – “How healthcare professionals can support medicines compliance: reasonable adjustments”
- Video animation sharable with patients/carers/public – “Helping medications to be taken safely: advice for patients, families and carers about reasonable adjustments”
Watch this short video where national Polypharmacy Clinical Lead and pharmacist, Clare Howard, discusses the resources and their importance.
The resources aim to promote a culture change around MCAs, through:
- Raising awareness of the other reasonable adjustments available to support patients take their medicines safely and effectively.
- Supporting pharmacy teams with decision making about reasonable adjustment eligibility and appropriateness
- Educating healthcare professionals, patients, carers and the public about available adjustments, and the proper process to obtain them, to support medicines safety based on individual needs.
Find out more about reasonable adjustments and why an MCA may not be the most suitable adjustment for your patients by viewing these resources at www.weahsn.net/mcas
MDS: 7 or 28 day prescriptions?
Attached here is committee position on this issue, and a link to the Wessex LMCs guidance to GPs.
This MDS notification form, created by CPSW and developed by Community Pharmacy West Yorkshire, can be used as a tool to use to demonstrate rationale for 7-day script request.
Medicines Compliance Aid database
This makes recommendations on the suitability of transferring solid dose formulations from the manufacturers’ original packaging into multi-compartment compliance aids (MCAs). The database can be searched by the brand or generic name of the medicine, although most entries will be based on the brand leader. Once searched, the product is given a traffic light colour-coded UKMi recommendation as to whether it is suitable to be placed in an MCA.
