In March 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched its third Global Patient Safety Challenge – Medication Without Harm – with the aim of reducing severe avoidable medication-related harm globally by 50% in the next five years. This is expected to be achieved by encouraging countries and key stakeholders to focus on early action priorities as well as developmental programmes to improve practice and health systems.

In support of this campaign, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) commissioned a review, Prevalence and economic burden of medication errors in the NHS in England, to assess their extent and scale. A Short Life Working Group (SLWG) was established in September 2017 to provide advice on the scope of a programme of work to improve medication safety.

The SLWG published a report which makes recommendations for a programme of work to tackle medication error and improve medicine safety. This PSNC Briefing summarises the SLWG report to highlight the most pertinent issues to community pharmacy.

PSNC Briefing 013/18: DHSC’s Working Group on reducing medication-related harm

If you have any queries on this PSNC Briefing or you require more information, please contact Zainab Al-Kharsan, Service Development Pharmacist.

To browse other PSNC briefings on the healthcare landscape click here.