NHS to tackle elderly over-medication with 200 new pharmacists

The NHS has announced plans to recruit an ‘army’ of experts to tackle over-medication in care homes, with many already in place. The pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will prevent care home residents from being given too many medicines as part of a package of measures to improve older people’s health and care in the NHS Long Term Plan. Currently, care home residents are prescribed an average of seven medicines a day, with many taking 10 or more, costing the NHS an estimated £250 million each year. Due to concerns about the over-medication, the 200 new clinical pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will support care home residents to improve their quality of life, cut hospital stays and reduce over-medication.