Branded prescribing review
NHS Dorset is asking PCN teams to review the branded prescribing of medicines, where these offer no clinical advantage over generic medicines.
A table of suggested branded to generic medication switches can be found in the resources section.
For some medicines generic prescribing is less expensive than branded prescribing, meaning the potential savings enable the NHS budget to be used to greater benefit the Dorset population.
A table of suggested branded to generic medication switches can be found in the resources section.
Review the table of proposed branded to generic medication switches in the resources section, to identify appropriate switches.
Run SystmOne searches to help identify patients suitable for generic product switch within the PCN:
Dorset SystmOne GPs> PQS Finance 25 26> F11 Generic adoption>
Switch patients to the NHS Dorset recommended generic medicines.
As with all product switches, not all patients will be appropriate for switch.
Where patients are not eligible for product switch, this should be recorded in the patient record e.g. patients requiring specific products due to visual impairment, licensing, contraindication, intolerance/allergy to excipients, dietary preference, religious grounds, swallowing issues etc.
Communicate the change to patients using the Template patient letters and text messages within SystmOne:
Template text messages can be found within SystmOne>Msg presets> Medication Management>Formulation>generic medicines
Template Letters can be found within SystmOne>Word letter templates
Table of suggested branded to generic medication switches (coming soon)
Medication formulation switches
NHS Dorset is asking PCN teams to review the prescribed formulation of medicines, where multiple formulations exist.
A table of suggested formulation switches can be found in the resources section.
Some formulations of the same medicine offer no clinical advantage, at an increased cost. The potential savings achieved through formulation switching, can enable the NHS budget to be used to greater benefit the Dorset population.
A table of suggested formulation switches can be found in the resources section.
Review the table of proposed medication formulation switches in the resources section, to identify appropriate switches.
Run SystmOne searches to help PCN teams identify patients suitable for product formulations to switch within the PCN:
Dorset SystmOne GPs> PQS Finance 25 26> F10 Drug formulation changes>
Switch patients to the NHS Dorset recommended formulations, taking into consideration any dosage instruction changes which may be required because of the formulation change.
As with all product switches, not all patients will be appropriate for switch.
Where patients are not eligible for product switch, this should be recorded in the patient record e.g. where increasing tablet/capsule burden is not appropriate, patients requiring specific products due to visual impairment, licensing, contraindication, intolerance/allergy to excipients, dietary preference, religious grounds, swallowing issues etc.
Note, where a formulation switch requires a tablet formulation to be halved, the patient’s ability to half a tablet must be considered. Patients are able to purchase a pill cutter form their community pharmacy.
Communicate the change to patients using the Template patient letters and text messages within SystmOne:
Template text messages can be found within SystmOne>Msg presets> Medication Management>Formulation> specific template for each product listed
Template Letters can be found within SystmOne>Word letter templates>Dorset CCG> Medicines Management> Formulation> specific template for each product listed
A table of suggested medication formulation switches (coming soon)
