Community Pharmacy Extended Palliative Care Services
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A qualitative investigation of lay and professional perspectives of community pharmacy extended palliative care services
IRAS ID
250614
Contact name
Kristian Pollock
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
000, Not Applicable
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 3 days
Research summary
As people get older there are increased demands of caring which puts both medical, financial and social pressures on the English National Health Service (NHS). There are more people needing palliative care services. Patients and carers are often asked to manage more and more complex medicine regimes with little support or training in medicines management. Healthcare policies are increasingly encouraging patients to be cared for at home which compound the issue. This growing need for medicine use to be optimised has prompted a rethink of the current division of health care labour and provides opportunities for community-led healthcare to expand their services.
Community pharmacies are taking up more clinical duties encouraged by health policies both in the UK and around the world. With increasing demands on General Practice, pharmacists are seen to help support patients and carers with their medicines. However, successful integration of community pharmacy in the palliative care field depends largely on acceptability by all stakeholders including nurses, GPs and commissioners. Pharmacists are increasingly taking up new roles and responsibilities but at present there is limited information on integrated palliative care pathways for community pharmacists.
There is currently little evidence about how community pharmacy could impact on the delivery of palliative care services and what patients or carer could think of their greater involvement. It is also not well known whether other health care professionals would find extended involvement acceptable. The current project therefore is very timely and seeks to explore the current and potential future involvement of the community pharmacy sector in the provision of palliative care in community settings.
REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/WM/0339
Date of REC Opinion
10 Dec 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion