Empowering you to meet regulatory and best practice requirements
To listen to Jag and Paul from the Pharmacy Support Helpdesk discuss the content of this section, scroll down to the bottom of the page.
Empowering you to meet regulatory and best practice requirements
Patient Safety First |
Over the next couple of months, the Patient Safety Champions’ letters will focus on two key safety elements of the dispensing process: use of the Columbus Pharmacy Management system’s ‘pack scanning’ function and the accuracy check. Maximising your compliance with these two safety processes will positively impact patient safety in your pharmacy.
This month, you have a short activity to complete which will test your understanding of the ‘pack scanning’ process. Use this activity, and feedback from your Patient Safety Champion, to identify any ways you, or the wider pharmacy team, may not always be following best operational practice, and develop SMART-ER actions to address this, if appropriate.
For the small number of stores that do not use the Columbus Pharmacy Management system, please use the activity to assess your accuracy checking process, in advance of next month’s letter which will focus on this.
IMPORTANT: Further GPhC communication on sodium valproate |
The GPhC has written once again to pharmacy professionals expressing further concerns that sodium valproate is still being dispensed to women and girls able to have children, without them being given the appropriate important information about the risks of valproate during pregnancy and ensuring there is a Pregnancy Prevention Programme in place.
It is essential that whenever sodium valproate is dispensed for a girl or woman able to have children, the current guidance is followed in full. This includes ensuring that each individual pack provided contains the appropriate warnings, irrespective or whether this is a manufacturer’s original pack or a plain white carton containing a number of repackaged tablets. It is also important that pharmacy team members do not make the assumption that a girl or woman is not able to have children based solely on their age.
The GPhC has gathered together all its resources and information about valproate onto one page on its website. This is available at https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/standards/guidance/sodium-valproate-resources-and-information. The page also includes a link to the full guidance issued by the MHRA on valproate use by women and girls.
IMPORTANT: Reporting adverse reactions/events or quality issues for Boots branded medicines |
In April this year, the Product Quality Report Form (PQRF), used for reporting all adverse reactions/events or serious quality issues for all Boots branded medicines and medical devices, changed from a paper format to an electronic MyHub mission. One important reason for this change was to ensure that adverse events (including special situations) and serious product quality issues relating to Boots branded products are reported to the Support Office appropriately and within the required 24 hours of a store team member becoming aware of the issue. This reporting process is supported by SOP AD7B (or SOP HAD6B for hospital stores), Reporting Adverse Events and Quality Issues on Boots Branded and Non-Boots Branded Licensed Medicines and Medical Devices, which was re-issued in August 2022 following its digital update.
Pharmacy team members are reminded that special situations relating to a medicine include suspected cases of dependence or addiction. Any known or suspected dependence or addiction relating to a Boots branded medicine must be reported using the PQRF MyHub mission, in addition to completing and submitting the required PIERS report.
The relevant BootsLive information is available here: https://nsp.bootslive.co.uk/sites/bootslive/AllUsers/Pages/Product-quality-issues-and-customer-complaints.aspx
UPDATE: #MedSafetyWeek November 2022 |
This year’s MHRA #MedSafetyWeek social media campaign takes place 7 to 13 November and focuses on the importance of reporting suspected adverse reactions to medicines and vaccines. Please support this campaign by talking to team members and patients about how suspected problems with medicines and other healthcare products can be reported via the Yellow Card Scheme. Find out more by visiting https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/medsafetyweek-november-2022-every-yellow-card-report-helps-to-improve-patient-safety