C+D readers have slammed the Department of Health's (DH) supply chain guidance published last February, with not a single respondent to the C+D Stocks Survey 2011 rating the guidance as "highly effective".

In a damning indictment of the government's initial attempts to resolve the stocks problems, 50 per cent of the 322 people responding to the survey rated the guidance as "very poor", with 39 per cent labelling it as "poor". Only 11 per cent said they thought the guidance was fine, and seemed to be having "limited success".

C+D readers were also critical of the supply situation itself, with just 15 per cent saying they felt the supply chain was currently fit for purpose. Two thirds said it was only a matter of time until patients started being seriously harmed, while 19 per cent thought patients were already suffering as a result of the supply problems.

Industry leaders have previously criticised the guidance, which says pharmacies should receive medicines within 24 hours of ordering them, calling it "unenforceable", and this week experts repeated calls for the government to monitor whether or not the guidance is being followed.

"Urgent consideration should be given to the provision of a robust third-party monitoring and survey service of medicine supplies to pharmacies and dispensing doctors," the British Association of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers said in its response to the all-party pharmacy group's inquiry into stock shortages.

Numark said it believed more needed to be done to highlight the guidance, and the importance of it in dealing with stock issues, to affected parties. And the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry told C+D that there was "scepticism" among supply chain stakeholders about whether the best practice guidance would have any real and demonstrable impact on the supply of medicines to UK patients.   

Can the guidance have any affect on current stock shortages? Comment below or email us at [email protected] You can also find C+D on TwitterLinkedIn and Facebook