The next phase of independent medication management delivered with digital support

An increasing number of people across the UK are managing multiple medications, creating a significant challenge for health and social care in ensuring they take their medicines accurately and on time. 

Digital medication management tools are a potential solution. One was evaluated by Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board (CTMUHB), Bridgend County Borough Council and Life Sciences Hub Wales. The device created by YOURmeds was shown to support people taking the right medication at the right time – improving independence, reducing harm and offering loved ones peace of mind. Please see our dedicated project page for more information. 

Phase two of this evaluation is further developing the service and building on its lessons learnt and successes. YOURmeds was awarded a contract through the Domiciliary Care challenge led by Contracts for Innovation Cymru and funded by Welsh Government. Working with partners from different sectors, they worked collaboratively to expand the scope of the service and make it more proactive and responsive through the use of digital tools.  

Project aims 

• Continue to recruit people entering short term services to encourage independence and prevent the need for care.
• Review people already in receipt of domiciliary care packages to establish if the use of a digital device not previously offered, to enhance personal independence, reduce care package intensity and release capacity within the care system.
• Greater focus on scalable service development and offer the potential for wider adoption within the Local Authority/Health Board area.
• Developments of the YOURmeds online portal to ensure services can remotely manage large cohorts of digital device users which will allow for greater    visibility of all existing devices in one central dashboard.
• Create via R&D from the previous pilot project, a proactive and preventative digital medication service which will utilize the benefits of diagnostic data as an early indicator of decline in someone’s wellbeing. 

Project Objectives 

• Improve overall medication adherence rates within Bridgend to 80% or higher.
• Increase adherence with medication regimes, reducing wastages of medication.
• Evaluate the benefits of providing digital technology to support medication adherence as an alternative to domiciliary care support calls.
• Evaluate whether digital medication devices help to increase independence and confidence of users allowing them to stay within their own homes for longer.
• Measure whether the simplification of medication regimes where a digital device may not be appropriate is an effective method of reducing domiciliary care calls for those that are currently in receipt of care support for medication.
• Develop an enhanced and unique central remote monitoring platform that can connect to multiple medication devices that provides real time adherence data to community services and respond accordingly.
• Evaluate whether the new central remote monitoring platform will assist the medicines optimization team to effectively manage large cohorts of individuals using medication devices in the community, to provide a scalable service.
• Consider the benefits of connecting all digital medication devices to an Alarm Receiving Centre as well as to a family circle of care.