Safety recommendation
HSIB recommends that the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health identifies the best practice principles for effective paediatric ward rounds in relation to medicines, and disseminates them to its members.
Response:
A Task & Finish Group has been established with select members of the cross-organisational Medicines Committee, which is overseen by the RCPCH and has representation from across the child health and medicines community including the Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacists group, RCPCH, NHS England / NHS Improvement, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the British National Formulary for Children and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
A systematic review has been conducted to ensure evidence-based practice is followed wherever possible, but with a relatively low evidence base in existing research on certain areas around best practice for paediatric ward rounds in relation to medicines, a more robust Delphi process is needed to gather consensus from across all paediatric specialties, parents/carers and the wider multi-disciplinary team. This extensive process will take place over the coming months with the aim of finalising and ratifying the guidance for publication when the Medicines Committee meets later in the year.
Actions planned to deliver safety recommendation:
- Delphi process by Summer 2022
- ratification by RCPCH Medicines Committee by Autumn 2022
- guidance published by RCPCH website by January 2023.
Response received on 28 April 2022.