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 SBRI Centre of Excellence 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.
- Bridgend
- Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board
- YOURmeds Pack Ltd
- Pivotell Ltd
- Contracts for Innovation Cymru
- Life Sciences Hub Wales
- Swansea University School of Management
- Welsh Government
Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board and Bridgend County Borough Council are continuing to be working together to scale up the project from the phase one success.
Profession N, Rich (Swansea University School of Management) will be providing expert mentorship and support for the evaluation of the project.
YOURmeds Pack Ltd - will be developing their device and monitoring portal capabilities in three distinct areas following feedback from both users/family and staff as part of the phase one project outcomes.
Pivotell – will be included in the phase two project to expand the range of medication devices available and include the benefits of their devices into the end evaluation.
Life Sciences Hub Wales – will continue to offer project management, funding and sector intelligence support.
For more information about this project, please get in touch by emailing hello@lshubwales.com
Impact on users
Patients using digital dispensers achieved adherence rates of 80% or higher, reducing missed doses and medication errors.
83% of family members/unpaid carers reported feeling more supported, less isolated, and more confident in the care their loved ones received.
Real-time monitoring and alerts enabled timely interventions, reducing medication-related harm and avoidable hospital admissions.
Many patients were able to manage their medicines more independently, regaining autonomy and confidence, and reducing the need for care visits.
For seven individuals, using digital medication dispensers meant 25 fewer hours of domiciliary care per week – equivalent to approximately £37,000 annually. This freed up valuable resources, allowing care teams to support more people who need help.
Impact on health and care providers
The Medicines Optimisation Team became more efficient, freeing up staff time for new assessments. Despite a 34.5% increase in referrals, waiting times increased by less than a day.
Reduced falls and emergency calls, as high-risk medicines are managed more safely with dispensers, leading to fewer hospital admissions and reduced emergency ambulance use.
Fewer unscheduled GP visits, as correct medicine adherence and regular routine community pharmacy reviews help keep conditions stable, leading to fewer urgent GP appointments.
Prolonged independence for residents means less reliance on carers, easing demand on nursing services, while community pharmacy teams' involvement prevents early social care interventions.
Environmental impact
By addressing medication non-adherence, medication waste is reduced by helping patients achieve 80% or higher adherence, resulting in fewer medicines unused or discarded.
The Pivotell device uses a reusable insert, reducing single-use plastic waste, compared to traditional monitored dosage systems supplied by community pharmacies. For the 45 patients using Pivotell, there was a CO₂ reduction of 0.29 tonnes per year.
YOURmeds redesigned its medication tray carrier to use 95% recycled materials, shifting production the UK and sourcing components locally.