Dispensing

Labour clueless about number of pharmacies dispensing at a loss

Pharmacy minister Stephen Kinnock said he does not know how many pharmacies have dispensed at a loss in each of the last three years.

Pharmacists will have option of original pack dispensing from January

Pharmacists in England will be able to dispense up to 10 per cent more or less than the quantity prescribed for NHS prescriptions.

‘No quick fix’ to prescribing system glitch in Scotland, says CPS

Community Pharmacy Scotland said an issue with the Vision GP prescribing system may cause confusion for pharmacies.

Health boards struggle to monitor dispensing fraud risk in Wales, says report

An Audit Wales pilot looked at potential “risks around fraud and cost” relating to “expensive items”, specials and “higher cost formulations”.

RPS and RCN update their position on prescribing and dispensing

The bodies said the same healthcare professional can be responsible for the prescribing, dispensing, supply and administration of medicines.

Managing inappropriate polypharmacy

This module provides an overview of appropriate and inappropriate polypharmacy and its management with reference to national guidance, and also examines the role of deprescribing.

We need to talk about specials

Lifting the lid on specials - prescribing, quality and reimbursement - and dealing with the regular headlines

Status epilepticus: why rapid, aggressive treatment is essential

In contrast to typical epilepsy seizures, untreated SE can last an hour or more, increasing the risk of serious complications.

Specials

Improve your understanding of specials and consider the positives and negatives of dispensing bespoke medicines.

Generic actions to reduce errors

Medicines often have similar sounding names and similar looking packaging, particularly generics. Make sure you don't get caught out.

Health warning: safety margin has been cut

A dispensing error has made the news. An unconscious baby was rushed to hospital after being given an anti-psychotic drug, olanazapine, instead of omeprazole. It was a case of the right label, wrong drug.

The impact of such incidents on the patient and their family is uppermost in our minds when things go wrong because we share the pain, feel the anger, experience the hurt and reflect on the sorrow made worse by the fact that we’re to blame. Saying sorry is never enough, and there are no words to embroider around that fact.

The case for a dispensing robot

A range of factors affects the suitability of automation and technology for each pharmacy business. This module considers the business case for installing dispensary automation.

 

Dispensing improvement?

Richard Hough considers the legal implications of hub-and-spoke dispensing

Optimise your income

Chairman of the LIPCO federated group Mukesh Lad shares some tips to maximise funding opportunities during testing times.

Dispensing errors: reducing the risks

Gary Choo, Numark's head of information services, explains how to minimize risks associated with dispensing errors