Memos and Alerts
National Medicines Optimisation Dashboard
In 2014 NHS England launched its Medicines Optimisation Dashboard to help inform local discussions about how to improve patient outcomes and get better value from our medicines spend. Since then it has been evaluated and modified based on what commissioners, prescribers and other healthcare providers want to see. This dashboard has now been revised .
NOACs contraindicated in patients with mechanical heart valves
Prescribers are reminded NOT to substitute newer oral anti-coagulant drugs (NOACs) for warfarin in patients with mechanical heart valves under any circumstance because of the risk of thromboembolic and bleeding events, regardless of the length of time since the replacement.
Controlled drugs stolen from Sunderland pharmacy
A pharmacy was broken into in Sunderland earlier this week where a large supply of controlled drugs were stolen including:
1,000 MST Continus, 900 Zomorph
560 codeine tablets
30 boxes of pregablin
500 fentanyl patches
800 methylphenidate tablets
104 OxyContin tablets, 300 Longtec tablets
4,800ml methadone solution
It is therefore advisable that all pharmacy staff remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity that could be considered preparatory acts by criminals targeting pharmacies to the police. Keep CD stock to a minimum and dispose of patient returned CD’s as soon as possible. Out of date stock CD’s should be destroyed appropriately in the presence of an authorised witness. Where there is no company authorised witness please contact the Medicines Optimisation Team who will arrange authorised witnessed destruction.
Controlled Drugs: Learning from Incidents November 2016
Issue 5 of the bulletin: Controlled Drugs: Learning from Incidents, produced by NECS on behalf of NHS England covers:
Prescribing and supply of controlled drugs
Advice to Community Pharmacies re the delivery of medicine
Advice for practices re the security of controlled drug prescriptions
NICE Guideline NG46: The safe use and management of controlled drugs
New briefing document added to website
New post on NECS MO website
NICE NG 56 – Multimorbidity: clinical assessment and management – a briefing document
The guideline itself covers optimising care for adults with multi-morbidity (multiple long-term conditions) by reducing treatment burden (poly-pharmacy and multiple appointments) and unplanned care.
World Antibiotic Awareness Week and European Antibiotic Awareness Day
World Antibiotic Awareness Week (WAAW) takes place from 14th – 20th November 2016 and European Antibiotic Awareness Day takes place […]
Electronic repeat dispensing toolkit
Electronic repeat dispensing (eRD) is an integral part of EPS, which offers many extra benefits over paper repeat dispensing and repeat prescribing.
NHS Digital have recently published an Electronic Repeat Dispensing Toolkit, available at which contains useful tools. You can also sign up for some eRD webinars to find out more. The toolkit includes an e-learning package, developed by NECS in conjunction with NHS Digital which can also be accessed through the NECS Medicines website.
Lamotrigine – is it safe to take while breastfeeding?
This updated Medicines Q&A evaluates the available evidence for the safety of lamotrigine in breastfeeding mothers
NECS Medicines Optimisation Newsletter November 2016
The Medicines Optimisation newsletter is a collection of news articles which have all recently appeared on the news feed on the NECS Medicines website https://medicines.necsu.nhs.uk.
You can also sign up for RSS updates which deliver news articles straight into your inbox when they are published on the website, and follow us on twitter @necsmedicines for regular updates and links to useful information.