Involving patients in their care and working to understand what motivates them to make decisions from the start, not just when something goes wrong, is essential. The more medicines patients are taking, the less likely they are to know what an individual medicine is for and the greater the chance that the medicine may be taken incorrectly. By involving patients in decisions, whether for a new medicine or ongoing long-term treatment, the more likely it is that they will take it as prescribed. Consider:

• The ability to consult well with people who use pharmacy services is essential to ensure safe patient care
• An essential part of involving patients in their care is shared decision making. This has been identified by the NHS as a fundamental part of delivering personalised care
• It is important to consider the question ‘how would I know if one of the patients accessing my services has additional needs?’. The Accessible Information Standard aims to make sure that people who have a disability, impairment or sensory loss are given information that they can easily read or understand. This means that it is essential to offer information in a way that is accessible to all people who use the pharmacy’s services. Remember that documenting this information in a patient’s records can help to meet any additional needs that they may have. Asking about a person’s needs is important as these may change.