Blister Packs Ease Medication Management
If you care for someone who takes numerous tablets daily, you may be familiar with how blister packs can alleviate some of the associated stress.
Also known as Monitored Dosage Systems (MDS), these packs organise all a patient's pills into compartments sorted by days of the week and specific times.
Community Pharmacy NI estimates that over 50,000 people in Northern Ireland receive this assistance weekly, but notes that "many pharmacy teams are at capacity."
This is the experience of pharmacist Orfhlaith McAreavey, who reports having to decline requests daily.
"If someone has sadly passed away, we might have a space to be able to fit them in, but yeah, it's a really in-demand service,"
In a statement, the Department of Health said decisions on MDS packs are made on a "case-by-case" basis.
It added that significant funding is provided to community pharmacies to meet Disability Discrimination Act requirements, including £18 million annually in recurrent funding.
The statement further explained that when a patient does not meet the criteria for reasonable adjustments but requests support "for convenience, provision of an MDS may be a commercial decision for the pharmacy and a charge may apply."
However, McAreavey indicates that funding does not keep pace with demand, and her pharmacy often absorbs delivery costs for housebound patients.
"Providing medicines in this way is costly and I am subsidising blister packs from other parts of my business,"
"Some of the medication that we are dispensing, we're doing it at a loss."
It's a Labour-Intensive Service
Another challenge McAreavey highlights is the time-consuming and complex nature of preparing blister packs.
She employs pharmacy technician Michelle McNally full-time specifically for this task.
Each patient's different tablets must be checked and counted multiple times by McNally and the pharmacist on duty before the blister pack can be dispatched.
"You can make a difference to people's lives,"
"People are so grateful that all this is sorted out for them and that they can have their meds safely,"
A Vital Service for Vulnerable Patients
Marie McCrory's mother receives her medication in blister packs due to dementia and having lived alone for an extended period.
"We rely very heavily on the fact that her medication is sorted."
McCrory expresses concern for individuals living alone who may not have access to such support.
"There's other people living with medical conditions that just don't have the capacity to sit and work that all out and it's just a big headache."
Pharmacists Face Financial Strain
Pharmacists like McAreavey find it difficult to refuse patients who need blister packs.
"We want to do these services, we want to be able to provide the packs for our patients that need it, but we can't because at the moment it's just, we can't afford it."
She advocates for a review of the system.
"All we're asking is can we get a proper review so the patients that really need the blister packs get them and that we are being recognised for the hard work and effort that it takes to do them."
Care Providers Stress Importance of Blister Packs
Niall Smyth, who runs Advanced Community Care in the northwest, explains their policy allows staff to administer up to two medications without blister packs; beyond that, they cannot.
"Some of our clients have 10, 12 medications. Maybe nine in the morning, twelve at night,"
"Asking somebody to give six or seven different medications can be quite difficult. It's prone to mistakes."
Smyth reports having to inform families weekly that certain medications cannot be administered because they are not in blister packs, with serious consequences.
He notes that some patients lack family support.
"So what's the answer? The answer to me is quite simple. Maintain the blister packs."
While acknowledging the expense for pharmacists, Smyth insists that funding must be found.
"That's the safest option. That's the best option. It's the option that families want. It's the option that care companies want."
Industry Response
Community Pharmacy NI, representing the sector, states that "the priority for pharmacy teams will always be to maintain this service to existing patients, where appropriate, and to continue doing this in a safe way."
It adds that pharmacies consider multiple factors including convenience, need, patient safety, pharmacy procedures, and other medicines-taking support options when addressing new requests.
