Medicines are essential for treating illness but must be used safely to prevent harm. Everyone has a role in medication safety. By working together, we can protect patients and improve care.
In 2023/24, more than 1.21 billion prescriptions were issued in community settings across England, costing the NHS £10.9 billion. These figures highlight the scale of medicine use and the critical need for safe and effective medication management.
This page provides healthcare professionals in South East London with key medicines safety resources, including:
- Guidance & Safety Alerts – National and local updates
- Training & Learning – Best practices and newsletters
- Support & Contacts – Where to get help and report concerns
We welcome feedback and suggestions to keep this page useful and up to date. To share ideas or request more information from the SEL Medicines Optimisation Team, please email us.
Let’s work together to keep medicines safe for everyone.
Medicines Safety
Medication is the most widely used treatment in healthcare however, errors can happen at any point—during prescribing, dispensing, or administration, which can impact patient safety.
To support safe prescribing, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) provides guidance for healthcare providers on handling patient safety concerns. See GP Mythbuster 91: Patient Safety Alerts for practical advice and expectations.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) oversees the safety of medicines, medical devices, and blood components in the UK. Healthcare providers should have clear systems in place to monitor and act on MHRA Drug Safety Updates.
Being proactive and responsive to safety alerts is essential to safeguarding patients and upholding high standards of care.
- DOAC choice – SEL memo – Dec 23
- Risks of Buying Oxygen Online A4 Poster
- Risks of Buying Oxygen Online A4 Poster - Black and White
- SEL interface prescribing support for unlicensed specials
Medicines Shortages
Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement Therapy (PERT) shortage
- Managing Medicine Shortages: Imported Creon® Alternative – Pangrol®
- Pangrol PIL – 10,000
- Pangrol PIL – 25,000
- PERT letter for healthcare professionals
- PERT letter to patient
- Position Statement: PERT Shortage – HCP, Patients and Dietician flowchart
- SEL Briefing document for PERT shortages
Diabetes shortage
- Discontinuation of NovoRapid® (insulin aspart) FlexTouch®100units/ml solution for injection 3ml pre-filled pens
- Supply disruption of Fiasp® (insulin aspart) FlexTouch® 100units/ml solution for injection 3ml pre-filled pens
- Supply disruption of Tresiba® (insulin degludec) FlexTouch® 100units/ml solution for injection 3ml pre-filled pens
Resources
For further information on Medication Safety, and support and guidance resources for Medication Safety Officers (MSOs), please see the Specialist Pharmacy Services (SPS) website.
