Latest news with #FalkirkHealthandSocialCarePartnership
Daily Record
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Falkirk Council deliver final 'meals on wheels' as service axed in cost-cutting measures
The service was used by just seven people and alternatives will be found for the vulnerable people who depend on it. Falkirk Council will deliver its final 'meal on wheels' this month, when the service stops for good. The service - which delivers hot meals to people who have difficulty shopping or preparing meals - currently, provides 19 meals to seven individuals each week. But that will come to an end on Friday, June 27, after Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership's board took the decision to end the service as part of cost-cutting measures to address a budget shortfall of £21 million over the next three years. The reduction to this service budget every year is £71,880. The partnership says it is working with the people who are affected by the decision and home visits have been arranged with Care and Support at Home staff to discuss alternatives ahead of the service being withdrawn. A spokesperson for Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership said: 'As part of our annual budget setting process, a proposal was approved to provide meals in a different way and achieve an overall recurring saving. "We are supporting individuals to access the alternative choices available to them, which include meal delivery services, community lunch clubs, supermarket delivery services, and household support from local organisations. 'In some cases, individuals can also access hot meals through support from their existing social care provider. We are working with providers and individuals to review their needs and amend care packages if required. 'The decision to move from internal provision of this support was made by our Board during the 2025 budget setting process, which asked all areas of the Partnership to consider how they may reduce costs, do things differently, and contribute to the overall financial sustainability of local health and social care services. 'As identified through our consultation process and equality impact assessment, alternative support is available within the community, allowing this limited internal service to be safely withdrawn.' The cut was part of a recent consultation that involved local people giving their opinions on how the partnership could make the necessary savings. According to Falkirk Council's equality and poverty impact assessment: "Overall, while some respondents acknowledged potential cost savings and the availability of alternative meal options, there was a strong sentiment that any changes to the service must ensure that vulnerable individuals continue to receive nutritious meals and necessary support. "There is a call for integrated community-based services and ensuring that any new provider maintains the standard and quality of meals." The charity for older people, Age Scotland, said Meals on Wheels provides a 'lifeline' to older people. Policy Director, Adam Stachura, said: 'It's concerning to see services like Meals on Wheels set to lose their funding. "We know local authorities are facing impossible decisions at the moment, but this will have a significant impact on the individuals who relied on this service. 'Meals on Wheels is often a lifeline to older people, offering support to those at risk of malnutrition and loneliness who may not be able to cook for themselves and do not have anywhere else to turn. "It is vital that the council works with those affected in order to consider alternatives and protect their access to food.'
Daily Record
28-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Pharmacy plan for Forth Valley takes aim at wasted prescriptions
Conversations with pharmacists can help patients and save the NHS money Nearly 50,000 people across the NHS Forth Valley area are not taking their medication as prescribed, a report on local pharmacy services has estimated. National research has shown that around half of all medicines are not taken as prescribed, particularly where people are taking more than four medicines. In the Forth Valley area - Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire - nearly 97,000 people take five or more medicines, which leads pharmacy experts locally to conclude that more than 48,000 residents will not be taking them as instructed. The figure astonished members of NHS Forth Valley's board, who were considering the Pharmaceutical Care Service Plan at their May meeting. The report offered a picture of the range, nature and quality of pharmaceutical care provided with NHS Forth Valley, in a bid to identify any gaps or unmet needs. The Falkirk area has 34 community pharmacies, serving a population that is estimated to grow by 3.7 per cent by 2029-30. However, the report estimates that the 75+ year population is projected to increase by 98 per cent by 2037 in the Falkirk Health and Social Care Partnership area, which will have a significant impact on local services. The board heard that pharmacies are increasingly playing a key role in delivering frontline healthcare at a time when services are increasingly stretched. The Pharmacy First initiative - previously known as the Minor Ailments Service - promotes the value of local chemists to patients needing advice on common health complaints. The Pharmacy First Plus service - now available in 26 chemists in Forth Valley - means some pharmacists can issue prescriptions for common ailments that would normally require a visit to GP, such as skin complaints and UTIs. However, the national figures show that there is a huge issue around waste and the report highlights the role that pharmacy teams can play in reducing medicines being prescribed and then not used or taken incorrectly. The report explains that many drugs in common use can cause problems, while adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are implicated in 5 - 17 per cent of all hospital admissions. Patients on multiple medications are more likely to suffer drug side effects and those who are on medications deemed to be high risk are most at risk of a hospital admission. Board members were keen to know what is happening locally to tackle the problem. The director of pharmacy in Forth Valley, Laura Byrne, told members that work is ongoing to address waste in particular with a "robust polypharmacy plan". "There are a number of projects going on across Forth Valley," she said, highlighting in particular the work of the team in Falkirk Community Hospital's pharmacy, which recently won a national award. Their work over the last ten months has delivered around £140,000 worth of savings, which also had "all the added benefits around patient-centred care". A polypharmacy pilot in various GP surgeries has also delivered benefits for patient care and safety as well as savings. Pharmacy in acute services have struggled in the past with staff vacancies but in recent months they have managed to recruit and they are now working on specialists posts, supporting pharmacists to become advanced practitioners. Ms Byrne told the board that their work, reviewing patients' prescriptions, had found a number of savings as treatments had been optimised. "That wasn't the aim of it, but what we are looking to do is to scale that up across our specialities," she said. Dr Andrew Murray, NHS Forth Valley's medical director, said it was important to remember that it is a long-standing and well-known fact that many patients deliberately do not take medicines as they have been prescribed and it is difficult to influence that. He said: "We need to understand that approximately 50 per cent of all prescriptions are not adhered with throughout the developed world. "At least half of those are deliberate - people deciding they are not going to comply." "We can influence it to an extent, through realistic medicine, shared decision making and making sure people who are not actually ever going to take that medicine have that conversation up front so we can find ways for them to manage their symptoms." The board also heard that a communication campaign had been running to try to reduce waste, with key messages such as asking people to only order what they need and to check their bags before leaving a community pharmacy. There will be another campaign to get the messages across in the year ahead. The plan highlights the numerous ways pharmacies are now involved in health care, from providing advice to care homes to supporting people dependent on opiates and other substances. Ms Byrne said the pharmacy care plan was an important way to analyse what services are available and look at how any gaps can be addressed. She said: "Through this analysis we are thinking 'what else do we need to be doing to try and bring care local to patients actually keep them away from out-of-hours and front door, and keep them well at home."
