Pharmacist domiciliary visiting in England: identifying the characteristics associated with continuation

Objective To characterize Pharmacist Domiciliary Visiting Services (PDVSs) in England. Setting Primary Care Organizations (PCOs) in England which are groups providing primary care services to populations of similar health needs within defined geographical areas. Method A questionnaire was designed and posted to all PCOs in England in order to identify the number that had provided or were presently providing a PDVS and determine the nature of the services. PDVS characteristics that were related to long term continuation or termination were then identified. Main outcome measure To quantify and describe the format of operational and terminated PDVSs across England and identify similarities and differences between operational and terminated PDVSs. Results A response rate of 81.5% was achieved (247/303) with 70% of PCOs reporting that to the best of their terminated services did so at or before 1 year of operation, several citing a lack of referrals as a contributing factor. PDVSs varied widely in design however, the only significant differences between operational and terminated PDVSs were that operational PDVSs incorporated a greater number of referral sources in the PDVS design which were more likely to be social services, general medical practitioners and community nurses. Conclusions Most PDVSs had numerous characteristics in common however no two PDVSs were identical. Characteristics involved in the creation of service demand such as number and type of referral sources, are more likely to be associated with PDVS continuation.