WIREDGOV

Please find below a link to The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) fifth annual report on thestatutory arrangements introduced as a result of the Shipman enquiry on the safer management of controlled drugs. The report covers the year ended 31 December 2011. Under The Controlled Drugs (Supervision and Management of Use) Regulations 2006, CQC is responsible for assuring that all regulatory bodies and agencies, and providers of health and social care, work together to create a safe environment for the management of controlled drugs. (www.cqc.org.uk/node/1265)

Key recommendations from this years report are :

1. Designated body organisations should ensure that they notify CQC promptly when the controlled drugs accountable officer for their organisation changes, to ensure that this is not overlooked in a period of change. The newly-appointed accountable officer must also make contact with the accountable officer leading the LIN.

2. The responsible officer and the controlled drugs accountable officer should work collaboratively on areas of mutual concern to ensure that the processes for oversight of controlled drugs are suitably robust.

3. Controlled drugs accountable officers should ensure that they have systems in place to assure the safe prescribing and administration of controlled drugs in all situations where controlled drugs are used.

4. Medicines safety, risk and clinical governance groups must always include the controlled drugs accountable officer when incidents involving controlled drugs are reported, so that opportunities for local and national learning are not missed.

5. Controlled drugs accountable officers should ensure that suitable systems are in place to ensure the safe and effective use of transdermal fentanyl patches. This should include ongoing education of all staff involved in prescribing, dispensing, administering and disposing of transdermal fentanyl patches.

6. The use of methylphenidate and dexamfetamine should be monitored carefully to ensure that they are being prescribed appropriately in all sectors.

7. The use of a standard Controlled Drug Requisition Form (FP10 CDF) should be encouraged more actively.

All health and social care organisations are responsible for making sure that they have arrangements in place to assure the safe and effective management of controlled drugs and for making sure that these systems are working effectively. In addition, all healthcare professionals have a duty to ensure that controlled drugs in their own practice are managed safely.

CQC uses its regulatory powers to inspect compliance against essential standards of quality and safety and further to investigate services where concerns have been raised or untoward incidents reported.