Reduced prescribing of inappropriate medication in nursing home residents through a pharmacy intervention

This work has formed the basis for a new pharmacy service that has now been commissioned for nursing homes in N. Ireland. It has been recognised that prescribing of medications for older people in nursing homes has been inappropriate, with overuse of medicines that are not clinically indicated. In collaboration with colleagues in the USA, the development and implementation of the Fleetwood Model, a pharmacy intervention service, has led to a reduction in the inappropriate prescribing of psychoactive medications (anti-psychotics, hypnotics and anxiolytics) which can cause sedation and other side-effects, and was shown to be cost-effective.