Acute hospital portfolio - medicines management 2005/2006

The review considers a number of aspects of medicines management.

It investigates the corporate governance structures that are supporting medicines management including the management of budgets and expenditure. Clinical governance is explored through the mechanisms for lesson learning within the trust, the controls in place to manage medications and the take-up of evidence-based practice. Progress in modernising service delivery is explored through looking at the development of new prescribing roles and the introduction of automation. The patient experience is explored through an understanding of the transfer and discharge processes and aspects of care whilst in the hospital. Staff development is explored through investigating staff roles in the pharmacy team and through measuring the extent to which staff are contributing at a clinical level on wards.

Latest news

The medicines management national reports have been published and are available through the links in the section below. Practice sharing information is now available from the section below.

National reports

Published: 12 January 2007

National report - "The best medicine" The management of medicines in acute and specialist trusts (pdf 1018kb) (opens new window)

National report - "Talking about medicines" The management of medicines in trusts providing mental health services (pdf 1160kb) (opens new window)

Clinical pharmacy audit tool

The audit tool used as part of this review has been developed to allow trusts to monitor their own performance. It can now feed back indicator values allowing comparison within trusts and over time. Download tool through the link below:

Clinical Pharmacy Audit Tool V1-6 (updated June 6th 2007) (xls 3552kb) (opens new window)

For your trust database from the 2005 data collection which can be used by this tool, please contact the AHP helpline through the following email link: acutehospitalportfoliohelpline@healthcarecommission.org.uk

As this tool is relatively new, we expect to receive trust feedback over the next few months. From the feedback there may be enhancements or bug fixes to the tool. To receive notifications of any upgrades, please register as a user through the registration link below.

Practice sharing

Trusts were asked to share their practice for seven medicines management areas in this review. These have been collated and are being shared back via this website through the links below.

Practice sharing - anti-microbial prescribing work (pdf 780kb) (opens new window)

Practice sharing - use of electronic prescribing (pdf 387kb) (opens new window)

Practice sharing - managing controlled drugs (pdf 578kb) (opens new window)

Practice sharing - working with patients and the public (pdf 647kb) (opens new window)

Practice sharing - non-medical prescribing (pdf 427kb) (opens new window)

Practice sharing - allergy barriers (pdf 368kb) (opens new window)

Practice sharing - tools to support childrens prescribing (pdf 217kb) (opens new window)

Acute trust diagnostic

Trusts have received feedback on their relative performance across a range of indicators between March and May 2006. The topic guide below provides background information on the indicators that have been fed back.

Medicines Management Topic Guide (pdf 510kb) (opens new window)

Trusts have been presented with data on relative drug usage. The link below provides the ADQ used in this analysis

Standard Dose Assumptions used to determine Number of Daily Quantities (doc 209kb) (opens new window)

Acute trust annual health check

The medicines management review feeds into acute trusts annual health check assessment. Trusts were notified in June 2005 about all indicators to be included in the topic and a selection of these will be used for the annual health check.

Click this link for medicines management annual health check results

Mental health trust diagnostic

Fourty two mental health trusts volunteered to take part in the medicines management review. Trusts have received feedback on their relative performance across a range of indicators between April and June 2006. The topic guide below provides background information on the indicators that have been fed back.

Mental Health Medicines Management Topic Guide (pdf 533kb) (opens new window)

Data collection process

Medicines management: information for trusts and data collection guides provide further information on the review and data collection process. These are available to download below, right click on the link to download.

Please note that the databases are now closed so these documents are available for reference only.

Acute hospital portfolio medicines management information for trusts (DOC, 456K) (opens new window)

Acute hospital portfolio medicines management guide to data collection (DOC, 737K) (opens new window)

Medicines Management Frequently Asked Questions and Questions of General Interest v2 (10/10/05) (DOC, 208K) (opens new window)

Printable versions of the set-up form and data collection tools can be obtained through the following links, right click on the link to download. Actual returns were made using on-line forms, these printable forms are for information, not data entry.

Acute hospital portfolio medicines management core questionnaire (v5) (XLS, 187K) (opens new window)

Acute hospital portfolio medicines management pharmacy clinical services audit tool (XLS, 1235K) (opens new window)

Acute hospital portfolio medicines management service users satisfaction survey (XLS, 46K) (opens new window)

Acute hospital portfolio medicines management PCT / local board satisfaction survey (XLS, 60K) (opens new window)

Acute hospital portfolio pharmacy clinical services audit form (XLS, 58K) (opens new window)

Acute hospital portfolio medicines management set-up form (XLS, 39K) (opens new window)

The following supporting information is referenced in the Data collection Guide or in the data collection forms, right click on the link to download.

Acute hospital portfolio medicines management pharmacy audit slides for Pharmacists (PPT, 2272K) (opens new window)

Acute hospital portfolio medicines management IMS health drugs listing (DOC, 554K) (opens new window)

Acute hospital portfolio Description of Pharmacy Services (PDF, 120K) (opens new window)