Why is supervised consumption of prescribed medicines important?
When a pharmacist or GP prescribes a patient their medication, the prescriber has a duty of care to their patients. Safety of the patient is a necessity when they’re consuming medication that is considered high-risk. Drug misuse has been and continues to be a prominent issue facing the health of the general public. This extends to medication prescriptions too. If supervision is provided for those who need it, then it can drastically reduce the risk of harm to the individual, their family and the local community.
A pharmacist’s role in supervised consumption of prescribed medicines:
Our pharmacists ensure the supply of medicines to patients is accurate and is clinically appropriate. In some cases, prescribers request that the administration of the medication is also supervised.
Drug dependency
Our pharmacists will work closely with those who take illegal drugs through the supervised consumption of prescribed medicines service. They will do this with the dispensing of substitute drugs – for instance, methadone, buprenorphine and suboxone – that allow the user to detox and gradually withdraw from their dependency. Pharmacists will monitor and support those under the supervised consumption service, so they are getting the best use out of their medication.
Medication that isn’t dependency-based
If the medication you are receiving under your prescription isn’t dependency related, but still placed under supervised consumption by your GP or prescriber, then you will be offered impartial and professional advice during your supervision meetings to make sure you are consuming the medication correctly. If you feel that you require extra support, your pharmacist can refer you to a specialist carer or your GP.
Our pharmacists can supervise the consumption of a host of medications and substitute drugs to make sure they have been administered appropriately to the user.