SETTING up a system to supply medication to care home residents affected by Covid-19 has earned a major award nomination for an NHS Forth Valley team.

The Forth Valley Primary Care Multidisciplinary Team has been shortlisted in the People’s Choice category of this year’s Scottish Health Awards, after a mammoth task to support more than 2,000 residents in the area’s 66 care homes.

A swift response was required by a wide range of staff when the pandemic began last year to ensure vulnerable older people had medicine available for immediate use, if required.

The team involved GPs, hospital and community based pharmacists, nurses, care home leads as well as staff from Strathcarron Hospice.

Together they devised a system which allowed GPs to prescribe in advance for care home residents who they felt were potentially at risk of severe symptoms due to coronavirus.

In just 72 hours, the process was put in place, supported by a comprehensive training programme.

Clare Colligan, NHS Forth Valley's lead pharmacist for primary care, said: “This was a true team effort where an enormous amount of people across multiple disciplines pulled together to set this up this initiative in a matter of days and kept it running for an extended period of time.

“When I think back on this, I am amazed at how we got this up and running so quickly, got all the stakeholders on board, trained the staff in their different roles and got involved in an education programme for care home staff and GPs.

“Everyone pulled together and supported each other to make this new system happen to ensure vital medication was available in local care homes to support residents who quickly became unwell.”

People from the wider area are being encouraged to vote for the Forth Valley team in the People Choice’s Award section of the Scottish Health Awards website.

Alternatively, call 0800 031 9104 and enter a four digit code for the team, which is 0001.

Voting closes on Friday, October 8, at 5pm.