 From 1 October 2014, schools will be allowed to obtain and hold stocks of salbutamol inhalers for emergency use.
This change to legislation follows on from an overwhelmingly positive response to a UK wide consultation undertaken by MHRA. The inhalers can be administered in an emergency situation by trained staff and only to pupils who are known to have asthma. On average, one in 11 children has asthma which means that there are approximately two children with asthma in every classroom in the UK. The RPS have produced a reference guide to help pharmacists who may be receiving requests from schools following the changes. The reference guide is available to members of the RPS and can be accessed by clicking the link below. RPS Supplying salbutamol inhalers to schools quick reference guide. The guide provides information on; who can provide a signed order for inhalers and what information needs to be on it, what records a pharmacy should keep and where to go for further guidance. The DH have produced guidance for schools. You can read this by clicking HERE Details of the consultation which lead to the change and a summary of the change can be read HERE
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 A new offence of driving with certain specified controlled drugs in excess of specified levels is expected to come into force on 2nd March 2015. This offence is an addition to the existing rules on drug impaired driving and fitness to drive. The legislation also provides for a statutory ‘medical defence’ for this new offence, for patients taking their medicines in accordance with instructions.
In preparation for this, the Department of Transport has published guidance for healthcare professionals on drug driving. In line with current professional practice, pharmacists prescribing or supplying medicines take into account the risks of medicines (e.g. whether a patient’s driving may be impaired by their medicines) and advise accordingly. This practice has not changed, but pharmacists will need to be able to explain the new rules concerning this offence to patients. The guidance can be viewed on the Department for Transport website. Information on whether individual medicines are affected by the new legislation will be added to the Summary of Product Characteristics of the products which are available on the electronic Medicines Compendium. 
The LPC would like to reminder contractors of their duties with regards to disposal of unwanted medicines with particular regard to Environmental Agency T28 Exemptions.
It has been 3 years since pharmacies needed to apply for a T28 Exemption and as the certificate only lasts for 3 years It may be prudent to check your exemption and make sure you re-apply if need be. We understand that the environmental agency only send out one reminder out so could easily get missed. The PSNC have a very useful resource page which contains information to help make sure you are compliant with the Essential Service specification of Disposal of Unwanted Medicine as well as compliance with current legislation. There are also some useful FAQ's, resources and links to gov.uk and the environmental agencies for registration of your exemption. This page can be accessed by clicking here and is worth a review to ensure you are fully compliant. |
Copies of our older Paper Based News Letters (The LPC News) can be found by clicking below.
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