08 Mar 2022

PrescQIPP resources for ICSs to improve patient outcomes

PrescQIPP provides all the evidence-based tools you need to optimise medicines for your patients at a system (e.g. ICS) or PCN/practice level to improve patient outcomes and medicines safety.

Who we are

We started as a QIPP workstream in the NHS 11 years ago, and having successfully grown, in 2016 became a Community Interest Company (an independent social enterprise) that operates on a not for profit basis for the benefit of NHS patients and commissioners. We are solely funded by the NHS for the NHS.

Who are our subscribers, who can use our resources

We have a UK wide subscriber base that supports the majority of the UK patient population. Currently 98% of the English CCGs/ICSs subscribe, as well as Health Boards (HB) in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and Health and Justice.

From April 2022, the PrescQIPP membership benefits will be available across the whole ICS and Health Board and will include access for medicines optimisation teams, finance teams, practice and PCN healthcare professionals, and medicines optimisation teams within secondary care, community trusts, mental health trusts and care homes.

Any NHS professional can register without subscribing to access free of charge many of the materials on our website which we make available one year after publication.

What we do

Our annual workplan is guided by our subscribers and the similar issues they face across the country. Our aim is to “do once and share”. This enables a reduction in duplication and variation across the NHS as we produce evidence based resources and implementation tools for medicines related interventions with a robust quality assurance process and with regard to extensive stakeholder feedback. The bulletins and briefings are supported by detailed data analysis, the resources and tools provide local primary care health systems with information on medicines safety, outcomes and value for money to enable appropriate change to be embedded in practice for the benefit of patients and the NHS budget.

We also do commissioned work, one of our most recent examples is the inhaler carbon footprint bulletin and tool we produced for NHS England & NHS Improvement to support the drive to reduce the NHS carbon footprint. As this is of national significance, these resources are freely available to all.

PrescQIPP have always analysed prescribing data to support the impact of their bulletins. We now have access to pseudo-anonymised prescribing and dispensing patient level data and will be producing indicators for subscribers in England.

If ICSs want to review data from both primary and secondary care providers to show patterns of medicines use, PrescQIPP are starting to produce ICS-wide dashboards to provide an overview of medicines use to highlight variation and potential opportunities for improved patient care and cost efficiencies across the system.

As well as sharing our own resources, we have a platform to share best practice and innovation across the NHS.

Types of resources

The main types of resources are evidence based bulletins and briefings focusing on medicines optimisation priorities identified locally, regionally and nationally by CCG/HB colleagues.

The bulletins and briefings are supported by implementation tools including patient information leaflets, letters, posters, videos, clinical audit templates, GP clinical system searches and training slides.

Each bulletin has a data pack with details of CCG, ICS or HB spending and potential savings to quickly assess the benefits of implementing the bulletin guidance.

Key areas

We have developed information hubs (webkits) that contain a number of resources around key therapeutic topics and strategic areas.

For example – adherence and waste, antimicrobial stewardship, care homes, continence and stoma, dermatology, diabetes, high cost drugs (including biosimilars), low priority prescribing, medicines safety, nutrition, pain, polypharmacy and deprescribing, primary care rebates, respiratory care, self care, specials and wound care.

We have produced campaigns focusing on waste and self care.

We lead and run virtual professional networks, for example the monthly Senior Brief for CCG medicines optimisation leads covering current issues and information; as well as Virtual Professional Groups (VPGs) for subscribers, covering for example Antimicrobial Stewardship, High cost drugs and Biosimilars, Care homes, Nutrition, and Polypharmacy and Deprescribing.

We also provide a range of education and training opportunities from the Leadership Academy to e-learning and Face2face day workshops or virtual workshops.

Find out more

Sign up to receive our monthly newsletter direct to your inbox to keep up to date with our latest publications and details about upcoming webinars, virtual professional groups and clinical masterclasses at https://www.prescqipp.info/mail-chimp/

Visit the PrescQIPP website to find resources about safe and effective use of medicines for patients, improving patient outcomes and making savings on prescribing without compromising the quality of patient care. https://www.prescqipp.info/