http://anp.org.uk Thu, 26 Jan 2012 19:41:48 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en How many of the 5 million children in England who receive oral penicillins each year really need them, and what are the effective doses? It is time to replace the rule of thumb used for dosing with up-to-date evidence, according to a paper published on behalf of the improving Children's ... http://anp.org.uk/2012/01/oral-penicillin-childrens-dosage-recommendations/ The RCN has said that it is 'unacceptable' for  GP employers to insist that nurses buy indemnity cover, or cover any costs to the practice. In a briefing issued in December (see here for the RCN briefing and here for news of the announcement and initial reactions), the RCN has ... http://anp.org.uk/2012/01/rcn-indemnity-changes-further-reactions/ After hopes were raised in the autumn (see here), the Home Office said on 9 January that it is still unable to provide a date for the long-awaited amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act about independent prescribers and controlled drugs. The statement was made in correspondence with pharmacist prescriber ... http://anp.org.uk/2012/01/no-news-is-bad-news-on-cd-changes/ A review of the literature on non-medical prescribing  (NMP) in primary care that looked for evidence of patient outcomes has found that most such studies were undertaken in the UK, and that there are 'substantial gaps' in the knowledge base that could inform evidence-based policy making. The authors identified 17 empirical ... http://anp.org.uk/2012/01/where-is-the-evidence-base-nmp-in-primary-care/ Medicines for Children, a website for parents and carers with lots of information about specific medicines, has been developed by a partnership of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacists (NPPG) and WellChild. The leaflets about individual medicines contain detailed advice about missed doses, ... http://anp.org.uk/2012/01/medicines-for-children-website-launched/ The day-to-day operation of the National Reporting and Learning System, said to be the largest source of patient safety incident data in the world, looks set to transfer to Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust for a period of two years (see here).  The National Patient Safety Agency is being abolished ... http://anp.org.uk/2012/01/nrls-to-transfer-to-nhs-trust/ The changes announced recently to the RCN's indemnity scheme have provoked much debate online, in the press, and at the recent ANP annual conference. There appears to be confusion about whether practice nurses in extended roles, such as prescribing, will now need their own indemnity insurance and, if so, who ... http://anp.org.uk/2011/11/rcn-indemnity-changes/ The MHRA is consulting on plans to consolidate and review UK medicines legislation to provide a clear, coherent regulatory framework (see here for the consultation details - the deadline is 17 January 2012). About 200 statutory instruments and much of the Medicines Act 1968 could be replaced with one set of ... http://anp.org.uk/2011/11/medicines-legislation-to-be-consolidated/ The nursing profession can congratulate itself on the way it has handled non-medical prescribing, as other professional groups now take on these responsibilities, said Dr June Crown CBE, President of the Association for Nurse Prescribing (ANP), at the start of its annual conference held in London recently. Despite the frustrations ... http://anp.org.uk/2011/11/anp-annual-conference-diversity-change-and-standards/ The Home Office says it is finalising the long-planned regulatory changes to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 about controlled drugs (see here and here) and that the appropriate statutory instrument will be laid before parliament by the end of October. The changes would then be expected to come into ... http://anp.org.uk/2011/10/cd-changes-promised-by-end-of-october/