The Medicines Safety Group is a sub-group of the Area Drug and Therapeutics Committee (ADTC), which has a focus on improving and maintaining the quality of systems and processes associated with prescribing, administering, dispensing and monitoring of medicines.
Explaining the origins of the new group, lead acute pharmacist Alison Bell said: “Medicines safety is integral throughout the work undertaken within NHS Dumfries and Galloway, and is an area where we are always looking for ways in which improvements can be made. It was felt that a specific Medicines Safety Group could help with the co-ordination of this work, and provide an oversight spanning right across the organisation – from acute hospitals to GP practices.
“We have drawn together key staff involved in this work to take forward an agenda which will give us even greater assurance around our constant efforts to ensure the safe prescribing, administering, dispensing and monitoring of medicines.”
Their primary objective is the identification and co-ordination of improvement activity relating to the use of medicines and minimising any harm from their use. It will monitor trends, identify learning points, promote sharing of information enabling learning and promotion of good practice, and it will input into the development of medicines codes of practice.
In addition, it will serve as forum for multi-disciplinary, cross-organisational, patient-centred discussion.
Alison said: “We strongly believed there was an important role for a group such as this, and, after having established our remit and membership, are even more convinced of its merits and the good work it can accomplish. People should be assured that medicines safety is of paramount important to NHS Dumfries and Galloway, and the creation of this group only further strengthens that assurance.”
Pictured above, left to right: assistant general manager Patsy Pattie, lead pharmacist Alison Bell, nurse manager Vicki Nicoll and senior charge nurse Fiona Richardson
