Paman Pilot Report 2019
PAMAN has improved the health outcomes of hundreds of people who need help to take their medicines.
Just as important, the remote medicines management service has generated significant savings. NHS Digital has estimated that if PAMAN was scaled up across England it could save taxpayers at least £200,000 for every 100 service users per annum.
Ann Williams, Liverpool City Council’s commissioning and contract manager, said:
“Many older people have trouble remembering when and how to take their medication, as do some younger people with specific health conditions.
“As a local authority, we have traditionally included home carer visits in care plans for people who need help to take their medicines. This is expensive. More importantly, carers, who are not experts in medicines management, worry about making mistakes.
“We wanted to find a new technology-based service to more safely support people to manage their medicines.”
With this in mind, the Medication Support Company – a pharmacist-led organisation which aims to digitise medication management – developed a remote internet-based monitoring service called PAMAN. This new technology gives people remote access to pharmacists at the touch of a button from their own homes.
The outcomes have been remarkable.
The eHealth Cluster (Liverpool) PAMAN Pilot Report 2019 has shown the following:
Service Users taking their medication correctly
97% now take their medicines correctly, compared to the national average of 55%. This means better health outcomes, improved safety, fewer hospital admissions and reduced medicine wastage.
Reduced costs to Liverpool City Council
Replacing carer visits with the PAMAN service has reduced costs to Liverpool City Council by 80%
More carers available for under-staffed services
More carer capacity for under-staffed services has been created, particularly in mental health services
Service users have a better quality of life
Service users have a better quality of life, with many reporting improved independence, confidence and feelings of safety.
Ann Williams continues:
“PAMAN is really easy to roll-out,” “The technology is affordable, it’s simple to use and staff training requirements are minimal.
“The service has helped the council to make significant and sustainable savings. Moreover, it has made a huge difference to people’s quality of life by giving them more independence. We have had many positive comments from service users and their families about PAMAN.
“Services like this are also helping health and social care to work much more closely as an integrated team across Liverpool.
“The local authority led on the implementation of PAMAN, but actually the main beneficiary is the NHS. It has been shown to improve health outcomes, and by doing so, reduce footfall to NHS services. Given COVID and the need to keep patients and staff safe, this has never been so important.”
Norman Niven, a pharmacist and founder of the Medication Support Company, added:
“The figures provided by the eHealth Cluster in Liverpool, who produced the independent report on the outcomes of the PAMAN pilot, only tell half the story of the savings PAMAN can deliver.
“The figures only refer to ‘cash in the bank’ savings from reducing carer capacity.
“Other annual savings referred to as ‘notional savings’ are more difficult to quantify but include reduced hospital admissions, faster hospital discharge, reduced bed days, reduced medicines wastage, reduced time spent by GPs and pharmacists resolving medication issues, and increased capacity for GPs, pharmacists and other professionals involved in medication management.
“These extra ‘notional savings’ have been estimated to increase the savings attributable to PAMAN by a further £100,000 per 100 service users, per annum.”
Norman continued:
“It is very satisfying to be able to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of service users, while at the same time improve safety, reduce errors and deliver improved health and care outcomes.
“The savings made by the use of PAMAN create opportunities for the development of new services alongside existing services which can be extended.”
