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NEWS
HIQA finds effective
governance essential in first
medication safety inspections
The first inspection reports on medication safety in public
acute hospitals were published by the Health Information and
Quality Authority (HIQA) at the end of February. Inspections
found that, where effective medication safety governance
arrangements were in place, patients were better protected
from potential harm related to medication use.
HIQA’s medication safety monitoring programme, which
commenced in November 2016, aims to examine and positively
influence the adoption and implementation of evidencebased
practice in public acute hospitals regarding medication
safety. HIQA monitors medication safety against the National
Standards for Safer Better Healthcare. HIQA’s Guide to the
Health Information and Quality Authority’s Medication Safety
Monitoring Programme in Public Acute Hospitals outlines the
requirements for service providers under phase one of the
inspection programme.
The seven inspections were carried out between November
and December 2016 in the following hospitals: Bantry General
Hospital, Connolly Hospital, Naas General Hospital, Nenagh
Hospital, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Sligo
University Hospital and University Hospital Waterford. HIQA
found a wide variation in the medication safety arrangements
in place across the seven hospitals.
Sean Egan, HIQA’s Acting Head of Healthcare Regulation,
said, “These inspections found that, while all hospitals have
some scope for further improvement, some hospitals were
well-organised to ensure safer use of medicines for patients
and had good arrangements in place to monitor, identify and
manage risk associated with medicines use.”
A number of examples of good practice in relation to
medication safety were found during these inspections. For
example, in Naas General Hospital, the Mater Misericordiae
University Hospital and Sligo University Hospital, HIQA
found that medication safety was effectively supported by
senior management in the hospitals; a formal and structured
medication safety programme was established; an open
incident and near-miss reporting culture was promoted and
a process was in a place for learning from medication-related
incidents; medication safety audits were carried out and
learning was shared with all staff; up-to-date medication
policies were in place; and good leadership was shown from key
clinical staff to support medication safety.
“However, these inspections also found that learning
from hospitals that have more advanced medication safety
programmes in place should be shared nationally, as more
needed to be done in other hospitals to better promote safer
use of medicines. A key building block for any medication
safety programme is the presence of an effective governance
committee – usually known as a Drugs and Therapeutics
Committee – which oversees how the hospital anticipates,
monitors, identifies and responds to risk related to medicines
use. As a first step, poorer performing hospitals in these
inspections need to improve the functioning of these
committees and, where possible, look to link in with other
hospitals to benefit from their experience. Some hospitals
also lack some necessary resources which would assist in
promoting greater safety in the use of medicines, and
further support in this regard may help to assist in
improving medication safety.”
Medication safety has been identified internationally as a
key focus for improvement in all healthcare settings and it is
estimated that, on average, at least one medication error per
hospital patient occurs each day. While most of these errors do
not result in patient harm, in a small but significant number
of cases patient harm does occur.
Recent research on medication use in the health system found:
n 26% of Irish people over 50 years of age use five or more
medicines daily;
n Up to 20% of readmissions to hospital within a year of
discharge are medicines-related;
n Up to 8% of all emergency hospital admissions in Ireland
are medicines-related; and
n 6% of hospital discharge prescriptions were found to
have a potentially severe medication prescribing error.
The reports for the seven hospitals are available on
www.hiqa.ie.
UCC Pharmacy Society
wins at Awards
The annual UCC Society Stars Awards were held on 16 March,
where UCC Pharmacy Society won a record number of awards.
They were nominated in five different categories and won two
awards, including Best Financial Management.
This is the first time UCC Pharmacy Society has won Best
Financial Management. Anna Ní Raghallaigh, Finance &
Sponsorship Officer, thanked the IPU for their help and support
throughout the year which assisted them in winning the award.
Pictured with the Best Financial Management Award are (L-R): Paul Harte (Finance
Officer, UCC Societies Executive), Máire O'Connell (Chairperson, UCC Pharmacy
Society), Anna Reilly (Finance and Sponsorship Officer, UCC Pharmacy Society)
and Cassie MacUileagóid (Vice President, UCC Societies Executive).
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IPUREVIEW APRIL 2017