NHS Southport and Formby Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and NHS South Sefton CCG say they’re proud to have been finalists in the prestigious HSJ Value Awards 2018, recognising the best efficiency and improvement across the NHS.

Together, the CCGs were awarded the title of highly commended in the communications category for their work associated with communicating their Repeat Prescription Ordering Scheme (RPOS) at the national ceremony in Manchester.

RPOS was designed to significantly improve medicines safety for some of the borough’s most vulnerable residents, by reducing the amount of wasted and unused drugs stored, without supervision, in their homes. At the same time, the scheme aimed to reduce the high cost of these wasted medicines, achieving at least £500,000 savings in its first year of operation.

The CCGs worked one-to-one with vulnerable patients, created short videos and also toured Sefton to help explain the scheme by explaining the risks caused by stockpiling drugs at home, and helping patients to have medications reviewed regularly to fit their needs.

Susanne Lynch, head of medicines management at the CCGs, said: "It was a real honour to be at the awards ceremony and to be judged the only highly commended scheme in the communications category. We’re really proud of the work we have done to be shortlisted.

“We identified early that close collaboration with our communications and engagement team would be central to the success of RPOS.”     

Lyn Cooke, head of communications and engagement at the CCGs, added: "It was essential for the communications and engagement team to be involved from the inception of the pilot and its initial design, through to its evaluation and wider roll out to the rest of Sefton.

“Through working closely with the medicines management team, we maximised on their expertise as pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to speak to people about their medicines and to ensure that the repeat prescription ordering scheme would work for them.

"To be shortlisted in the HSJ awards has been a real honour and recognition for all the hard work carried out by our colleagues in medicines management supported by our communications and engagement team."

Alastair McLellan, Editor, HSJ, said “In July the prime minister has promised to reveal a historic funding settlement for the NHS. However, this welcome and long overdue boost will not remove the need for the NHS to deliver high quality healthcare which is also value for the money spent on it. Indeed, the extra money is likely to come with even greater scrutiny on NHS efficiency.

“The finalists and winning entrants of the HSJ Value Awards all demonstrate that the NHS is constantly seeking ways in which to enhance both the quality of care while making every penny count.”

NHS Southport and Formby CCG and NHS South Sefton CCG were one of nine organisations shortlisted in the communications category of the HSJ Value Awards 2018, with local specialist mental health, addiction, learning disability and community health services provider Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust.