Our GP blogger, Dr Clive Henderson is aghast at the high rate of hospital discharge medication errors.
And still it goes on.
Back in November last year, Pulse ran an article highlighting the hospital discharge medication errors we had unearthed in our one year trial , showing a 57 % inaccuracy rate.
http://www.pulsetoday.co.uk/story.asp?sectioncode=24&storycode=4127561
Rather depressingly, my practice pharmacy technician , who took part in our study, forwarded some recent data from Essex.
It had conducted a study to obtain baseline parameters prior to the introduction of a new electronic discharge system at Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital.
Nearly a quarter of paper discharge letters contained at least one patient medication error.
It is rather shocking that in this day and age of the NHS spine ( systmOne etc ) that such a degree of disconnect can occur between primary and secondary care.
Maybe we need to introduce swingeing CQUIN fines on Trusts failing to address this problem. Not only would it focus minds in secondary care but the capital released could fund ongoing primary care validation of accuracy.
I don't know what our current error rate is running at because we don't have the resources to look in any systematic , proactive fashion. All very unsatisfactory.
Dr Clive Henderson is a GP and chair of Goole, Howden and West Wolds locality commissioning group
Dr Clive Henderson
