Mixing medicines – June 2010
The issue of mixing drugs has been prominent over the past few years. A recent change in the law resulted in the DH commissioning the National Prescribing Centre (NPC) to produce supporting guidance for all clinicians involved in the mixing of medicines. Physiotherapists remain involved in the mixing of medicines either by following PSD’s or by acting as Supplementary Prescribers.
Read the full DofH policy statement and the NPC guidance
Mixing of Medicines – Mixing of Medicines DoH
Mixing of Medicines – Mixing of medicines NPC
The key messages are:
- Mixing must not occur purely for the benefit of the healthcare provider
- Mixing must NOT occur under a PGD under any circumstances whatsoever
- A licensed product must be used in preference to any sort of mixing where a licensed product is available
- Any instruction to mix MUST be in writing for each patient
- Where a patient does suffer harm as a result of mixing medicines, the adherence by the professional/organisation to good practice guidance published by professional bodies/ NPC/DH etc may be taken into account in determining if negligence has occurred.
The impact of these statements is self-explanatory, but the last part is extremely important in that there is now the default expectation that physiotherapists MUST KNOW AND ACT UPON both CSP, DH and NPC guidance and should not be mixing at all unless they can clearly demonstrate that they and their organisations have followed the process in the NPC guidance. The CSP remain active in this process and are also using the iCSP site to update members.
