- Recommendations on re-using prescribed medicines in care homes and hospices in England have been altered to help ease pressure on the medicines supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has produced a standard operating procedure (SOP) that will allow care homes and hospices to reuse medicines as long as they carry out a risk assessment on each medicine using three key indicators: that no other stocks of the medicine are available in an appropriate timeframe and there is an immediate patient need; no suitable alternatives for an individual patient are available; and the benefits of using a medicine that is no longer needed by the person for whom it was originally prescribed or bought outweigh any risks for an individual patient receiving that unused medicine.
- The SOP says that medicines must also be checked by a registered healthcare professional to ensure that they are suitable for re-use. This includes checking if the medicine has been opened, whether it is in date and if it has been stored in accordance with good practice guidance. The SOP applies to all medicines, including liquid medicines, injections (analgesics, insulin), creams and inhalers, that are in sealed or in blister packs
- A template for recording medicines for re-use has also been provided.