WINNER

Midlands and Lancashire CSU and Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB: Inhaler Prescribing Errors - Do They Matter?

An audit of inhaler prescriptions identified that ingredient duplication in the same therapeutic drug class is not routinely being considered by clinicians as an interaction, or a potential cause of side effects experienced by patients.

Three hundred and sixty patients had inhaler ingredient duplication errors on their record and nearly a third of these went unchanged during a respiratory review. Audit results were shared with individual practices, prompting a review of prescribing policies.

An easy reference guide to inhaler prescribing was created to prevent errors from occurring. This was circulated, alongside education to staff in primary and secondary care and community pharmacy. The judges were highly impressed with this project, highlighting its clear benefits to patients, replicability, and potential for financial growth.

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Highly commended

NHS England, Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, British Generics Manufacturers Association, PharmaCare Group and HealthBeacon: Pathfinder Risk Management Platform: A National Lenalidomide Pregnancy Prevention Programme

Finalists

King’s College Hospital FT: Implementation of a Trust-Wide Seven-Day Clinical Pharmacy Service

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals FT: Reducing Medication Omissions

Midlands and Lancashire CSU: Improving the Safety of Patients Prescribed Clozapine

Southern Health and Social Care Trust: Medicines Management Safety for Domiciliary Care Workers Supporting Adults with Dysphagia

Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care FT: Remote Prescribing for Digital Health Services

The Haringey GP Federation: Improving patient safety and prescribing quality of direct oral anticoagulant’s (DOAC’s) in primary care.

The Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust: Patient-centred community anticoagulation service

Topics

Winners of Patient Safety Awards 2023 revealed