Digitalis has been successfully collaborating with the Northern Health and Social Trust (NHSCT), Northern Ireland since 2009. The NHCST is one of the five Health Care Authority in Northern Ireland providing health and social care for a population of 1.8 million persons.
Using the STEPSelect© methodology developed by Digitalis, an Integrated Medicines Management Programme (IMM) was developed and launched by NHSCT in Northern Ireland in the last decade. The programme has now been in operation about five years and first evaluations show that significant efficiency gains of the use of medicines are feasible without compromising the quality of prescribing.
The IMM programme was presented by Mr Andrew McCormick, Permanent Secretary of Health, Social Services and Public Safety of Northern Ireland, at a EU conference on e-Health in Athens 12-14 May. For its achievements of the IMM programme, the NHSCT, has recently been awarded a three star status as member of the European Innovation Partnership set up by the EC and this was highlighted by Mr McCormick in his keynote lecture at the conference.
Mr McCormick also outlined the favourable outcomes of IMM in Northern Ireland and reached out to collaborate with other EU regions to exchange knowledge and technology in support of Medicines Management for the Active and Healthy Aging (AHA). In his address, Mr McCormick stressed the importance of collaborating with Digitalis not only on STEPSelect©, but also in a recent concerted effort to submit to the EU R&D programme ‘Horizon 2020’ a proposal with five other European Innovation Partners in Spain, Ireland, Sweden and Italy to scope the implementation of IMM in other European regions.
Professor Michael Scott, Head of Pharmacy and Medicines Management at NHSCT also presented at the e-Health conference and he highlighted in detail the different components of the IMM programme developed in Northern Ireland - in particular the STEPSelect© methodology developed by Digitalis and other tools (see presentation).
Digitalis and NHSCT have set up a successful public-private partnership and the partners are looking forward to implement IMM in other parts of the EU.