Are your pharmacy team valproate champions?

04 Dec 2019

The high risks associated with exposure to valproate medicines during pregnancy remain a topical, high priority patient safety concern and we would like to highlight recent developments to help improve valproate medicines safety in your pharmacy.

The high risks associated with exposure to valproate medicines during pregnancy remain a topical, high priority patient safety concern and we would like to highlight recent developments to help improve valproate medicines safety in your pharmacy.

The Company Chemists Association (CCA) has published its summary report “Valproate medicines safety in community pharmacy following a practice-based audit it conducted between 2018 and 2019.

The report identifies the need for further action to improve pharmacy team awareness of the Pregnancy Prevention Programme (PPP) and its importance in valproate medicines safety. The report also makes recommendations for action by several organisations, including the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and manufacturers of valproate medicines, to support community pharmacies in improving valproate medicines safety. This includes working together with the MHRA Valproate Stakeholder Network and patient groups to facilitate sharing of patient safety updates, increasing awareness and understanding of the risks associated with valproate use during pregnancy across all healthcare settings.

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) aims to follow the CCA recommendations by seeking evidence, during inspections, that pharmacy teams are following the Pregnancy Prevention Programme (PPP) for valproate and documenting this as part of the pharmacy’s inspection report.

Key actions for pharmacists and pharmacy teams

To improve valproate medicines safety, pharmacists and pharmacy teams are strongly recommended to implement findings from the CCA audit as follows:

 

Recommendations from the report Actions for pharmacy teams to implement recommendations made
1.       Facilitate sharing of patient safety updates, increasing awareness and understanding of the risks associated with valproate use during pregnancy across all healthcare settings.
  • Appointing a member of the pharmacy team as a ‘valproate champion’ – an individual who is the existing patient safety champion may be appropriate
  • Pharmacy team members sharing learnings from ongoing continuing professional development (CPD) on valproate safety
2.       Ensure that all members of the pharmacy team understand and implement the MHRA guidance for dispensing prescriptions for valproate medicines for females of childbearing age
  • Supply a patient information leaflet (PIL)/patient card every time a valproate medicine is dispensed
  • Counsel all relevant patients/their representatives on the need for a PPP to be in place and the risks of valproate medicines in pregnancy
  • Ensure that training for new members of the pharmacy team includes MHRA guidance on the use of valproate medicines in females of childbearing age; this will help secure an understanding of the risks from the start of an individual’s career in pharmacy
3.       Ensure a robust procedure is in place for documenting (on the PMR) details of all discussions relating to dispensing prescriptions for valproate medicines to females of childbearing age and their representatives on the PMR
  • This includes all interactions with patients/representatives, prescribers and locum pharmacists

Further information on the findings of the CCA audit and recommendations made can be found in the audit report and infographic.

NPA support

As part of the NPA’s commitment to patient safety, we have produced a number of resources and helpful links to support members in ensuring valproate medicines safety:

Further information

For further information please contact the NPA Pharmacy Services team on 01727 891800 or email at:  pharmacyservices@npa.co.uk.

 Produced by the NPA Pharmacy Services team December 2019