Local guidance has been developed by Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care Board to support patients, carers, and healthcare professionals to optimise medication management. The guidance states that ‘MCAs (commonly known as dosette boxes or blister packs) are only suitable for people who manage their own medicines, and where these have been agreed as the most suitable option by a community pharmacist which can sometimes be chargeable. An MCA is not suitable for the majority of patients for safety reasons.
Many medicines are not suitable for adding to an MCA as the medicine stability is not guaranteed when removed from their original packaging. This can lead to the medicine not working as it should and, in some cases, cause harm.
An accompanying patient information leaflet is also available for patient use. The guidance states that ‘MCAs (commonly known as dosette boxes or blister packs) are only suitable for people who manage their own medicines, and where these have been agreed as the most suitable option by a community pharmacist which can sometimes be chargeable. An MCA is not suitable for the majority of patients for safety reasons. Where an alternative sector considers an MCA may be suitable, a joint decision discussion is had and agreed with the usual community pharmacist. It is ultimately the community pharmacist’s decision as to whether they supply a patient’s medicines in an MCA’. The guidance applies to new patients that require medicines support aid and existing patients (opportunistically conducting a case-by-case review to determine if an MCA is the most appropriate medicines support aid). The guidance recognises: Read more in communication bulletin.