Emergency review ordered into care home prescribing

08 January 2010

AN emergency review has been ordered by the Department of Health into the safety of drug use in care homes.

An NHS-wide alert has been issued to PCTs calling on them to instruct GPs, practice nurses, pharmacists and care homes to “review the safety of local prescribing, dispensing, administration and monitoring arrangements” in the provision of medication to older people in care homes.

The alert, sent out through the NHS Central Alerting System, also urges PCTs to “establish a plan for effective joint working in the future, including auditing on-going progress.”

The alert follows a recent Department of Health survey which revealed a high number of medication errors were being made in care homes. Residents, who had an average age of 85, were found to be taking an average of eight medicines each. And on any given day, seven out of 10 patients experienced “at least one medication error”, the report found, adding that there was potential for “serious harm”.

The move also follows a Government announcement just weeks ago of new curbs on GP antipsychotic prescriptions for care home residents after a report linked the medications with 1800 additional care home deaths a year.