Independent Review of the Management of Controlled Drug Use in ...

4. Methodology
Key stages of the review:
HSC trusts were asked through self-assessment, to provide information
regarding the processes in place for governance of controlled drug use.
This included the role of the Accountable Officer, development of
Standard Operating Procedures, monitoring of controlled drug use and
arrangements for information sharing with the LIN.
Self-assessments were also provided for completion by trust
pharmacies and wards that used controlled drugs. A separate section
was provided for those sites that did not have their own pharmacy.
A short self-assessment was provided to members of the LIN asking
them to comment on its effectiveness and suggestions for
improvement.
Inspections were carried out in a number of hospital wards in each trust
to assess the effectiveness of governance arrangements and the
appropriate use of Standard Operating Procedures. A patient journey
approach was taken, charting the progress of a controlled drug from
when it arrived in the pharmacy until the time it was administered to the
patient.
Validation meetings took place with members of trust senior teams,
with representation from nursing, pharmacy and medicine.
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