This innovation is the vision to commission a new and refreshed Medicines Optimisation in Care Home (MOCH) service that is delivered at scale across Sussex covering the three areas (West Sussex, East Sussex and Brighton & Hove) using one service specification and the successful delivery of this new Sussex-wide MOCH service. In 2023/24, the first full year of this new Sussex MOCH service,
MOCH pharmacists provided a SMR to 11,363 residents, or a total of 75% of residents in CQC registered care homes had a SMR undertaken by MOCH.
A total of 6263 Medication Reviews, 492 Systems and Process Reviews of Care Homes allowed them to improve their medicines management processes.
MOCH dealt with over 6142 queries (excluding those related to SMRs). MOCH deprescribed around 20,000 medicines for residents (between one and two medicines per resident). Pharmacists predicted they reduced serious harm from medicines for about 4,000 residents.
The estimated cost saving of medicines stopped or changed was approximately £2.8 million. This translates to carbon savings of 1,773,340 kg CO2e, the equivalent of removing 644 cars off the road for a year. MOCH supported Care Homes with template documents e.g. Medicines Management Policy, implemented Homely Remedies, delivered monthly webinars for care home staff and several other innovative initiatives. MOCH provides support in safeguarding issues.
