NHS England COVID-19 Guidance – NHS England COVID-19 Specialty Guides UK Government COVID-19 resources – NHS COVID-19 resources NICE COVID-19 resources – NHS SPS COVID-19 resources – RDTC HEE e-Learning for Health COVID-19 Courses Medicines for End of Life & Critical Care Alphabetical List – with thanks to SPS Several Professional, Academic & Representative Bodies have compiled collections of COVID-19 guidance Continue Reading »
This website is maintained by North of England Commissioning Support Medicines Optimisation Team and contains medicines information, guidelines and resources to support safe, effective and good value medicines use in primary care in the NHS across the North East, North Cumbria, Humberside and parts of North & West Yorkshire.
The Autumn edition of the Medicines Matters newsletter on medicines in a care setting is now available. Topics covered include: Protocols & care plans for when required medicines (often known as “PRN” medicines) Seasonal ‘flu vaccines ‘Flu vaccine myth busters Errors with morphine sulfate 10mg/5ml oral solution linked to inadvertent use of IV syringes & inadequate training Digital Continue Reading »
NICE has published an update to NG59 Low Back Pain and Sciatica. The updated guideline advises healthcare professionals NOT to offer benzodiazepines, gabapentinoids or opioids for sciatica. This extends advice in the original 2016 guideline to avoid gabapentinoids and routine use of opioids for low back pain. NICE offer the following explanation as to why the committee made Continue Reading »
Public Health England – with support from the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health – have published Clinical guidance for healthcare professionals on maintaining immunisation programmes during COVID-19. The guidance sets out the following key points for General Practice: The routine immunisation programme should be maintained. As well as protecting Continue Reading »
The DHSC has reinstated publication of monthly reports and information on current issues affecting supply of medicines in England via the NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service website: https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/department-of-health-and-pharmaceutical-market-strategy-group-pmsg-supply-updates/ The monthly Supply Issues Updates for Primary and Secondary Care and linked documents are also circulated through the PrescQIPP network and form the core of the Notts APC COVID-19 Supply Issues Continue Reading »
NICE has published COVID-19 rapid evidence summary: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in people with or at risk of COVID-19 – which includes the following conclusion: Despite biological plausibility for the role of ACEIs and ARBs in both increasing and decreasing the risk of COVID-19 and its complications, this evidence review has not found any Continue Reading »