Hampshire & Isle of Wight Medicines Safety

A summary of key safety points for pharmacies to consider.

Methotrexate 10 mg tablets

• The use of the 10 mg tablet is a major safety issue.
• The ICB agreed position is that only 2.5 mg tablets should be prescribed.
• Pharmacies should be alert to prescriptions for 10 mg tablets and reinforce patient counselling.

Steroid emergency cards

• Recent incidents and national guidance highlight the need to ensure eligible patients receive and understand the steroid emergency card.
• Pharmacies should use prescription collection to talk about steroid risks and the card use.

Emollients and fire risk

• Fire risk with emollients remains an ongoing concern.
• Pharmacies should continue giving clear fire safety advice when supplying emollients.

Hospital-only and homecare medicines visibility

• Poor recording of hospital-only or homecare medicines on GP records can lead to missed medicines and unsafe reconciliation.
• Pharmacies should be cautious when medication histories appear incomplete.

Communication with GPs and patients

• Several issues point to communication gaps across care settings.
• Pharmacies have an important role in clarifying treatment changes, reinforcing advice, and directing concerns back to prescribers when records are unclear.