Royal College review warned trust of ‘very significant risk for patient care’

A community trust was told to urgently review prescribing of stimulant medications for children after concern that some were posted to families but never arrived.

Bridgewater Community Healthcare Foundation Trust was told that sending prescriptions through the post may be a potentially unsafe practice by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. The warning came in a report from the college after it was invited by the trust to review its community paediatrics service

The trust was urged to work with primary care and clinical commissioning groups to establish shared care for children who needed these medications. Stimulant medicines are often used for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The review also found there was a “a very significant risk for patient care” with letters, reports and prescriptions being delayed or going missing due to “recurrent issues” with the post in the building used by the team covering St Helen’s.

It highlighted issues with the safeguarding procedures at the trust, with each locality team having its own processes and handling a small number of cases, and called for urgent work to streamline services.

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Source: HSJ, 11 November 2020