Renal patients take 'pot luck' with stock shortages
Sort out stocksThe number of cases of supply problems and incidents of patient distress reported via C+D’s interactive tool has this week exceeded 150
Renal patients are suffering severe harm due to medicine shortages and have to "take pot luck" on whether they can get their medication each month, a pharmacy has reported on C+D's interactive tool this week.
Pharmacies across the UK have reported more than 150 cases of supply problems and incidents of patient distress since C+D's reporting tool was launched in August.
You have nine more days until October 25 to continue providing us with your evidence to present to pharmacy minister Earl Howe, in response to his calls in August for pharmacists to prove that stock shortages are harming patients.
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● Charing Practice, Ashford, Kent reported two cases of severe harm to their patients. One patient was waiting for six days for Utovlan for menstrual pain, the pharmacy said. Meanwhile two renal patients could only receive one pack a month of the "essential" treatment Fosrenol (lanthanum) due to quotas and had to "shop around" to obtain it.
● Abu's Midnight Pharmacy, Stechford, Birmingham was expecting a patient with leukaemia to have to wait at least three days for their Noxafil suspension, at the time it reported its evidence to C+D.
● Boots in Filey, North Yorkshire had to wait a week for a GP to write an alternative prescription for a patient with Parkinson's disease, following a shortage of pramipexole. The patient suffered low harm, it reported.
Medicines that pharmacies have reported are out of stock:
Abilify, Asacol foam enema, azathiorprine, Azilect, Azopt eye drops, Bricanyl, Budenofalk, carvedilol, Caverject, Cialis, Cipralex, co-triamterzide, Fosrenol, gabapentin, Genotropin GoQuick, Gentisone HC ear drops, Lantus Solostar insulin pens, Lomotil, loperamide, Maxalt Melt Maxitrol eye drops, Noxafil, Pancrease HL, pramipexole, Prograf, Questran, Savlon spray, Scopoderm patches, Skinoren cream, sodium cromoglicate eye drops, Spiriva refill stock, Stamaril, sulfinpyrazone, Tildiem LA, Trimovate, Utovlan, Vesicare.
Do you have evidence of stock shortages causing patient harm that we can show Earl Howe? Comment below or email us at [email protected] You can also find C+D on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook |