PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR THE REPORTING, LEARNING, SHARING, TAKING ACTION AND REVIEW OF INCIDENTS
With the support of an expert steering group and public consultation, we have worked jointly with RPS and APTUK on developing professional standards in Error Reporting, they describe good practice and good systems of care for reporting, learning sharing, taking action and review of incidents, as part of a patient safety culture. Their implementation will improve patient safety and the quality of pharmaceutical services.
CLINICAL CHECK GUIDANCE
Pharmacy Forum NI have produced new clinical check guidance, this guidance is for all pharmacists who undertake clinical checks as part of their pharmacy practice.
The guidance was developed by our working group and supported by the Pharmacy Forum NI. It sets out key areas to be considered when undertaking a clinical check:
- Patient characteristics
- Medication regimen
- Administration and monitoring
A GUIDE TO SUPPORT MEDICATION REVIEW IN OLDER PEOPLE
A local practical guide to support medication review has been developed by the NI Network of Pharmacists with a special interest in Older People.
This guide is aimed at supporting pharmacists in any setting to identify medicines which may be potentially inappropriate for older people and should therefore be reviewed. It gives explicit examples of medicine names/classes and the clinical condition or scenario in which it is considered inappropriate. The tables include the reasons why and in a few examples, some practical advice how best to stop or amend. The guide also provides a section on medicines which provide benefits to the older person but all too often fail to be prescribed.
The guide has been compiled using a variety of up to date resources and will continue to be developed by the network steering group with the most up to date version available via the pharmacy forum website. If you have any questions or queries about this guide please contact carmel.darcy@westerntrust.hscni.net
RAISING A CONCERN - PROFESSIONAL GUIDANCE
Working within the sphere of modern pharmacy practice, you frequently come across references to ‘raising concerns’. But what does this really mean to us and how does it or should it affect our day-to-day work? This guidance is designed to highlight the importance of raising a concern and provides examples of what form this may take.