SPS - Specialist Pharmacy Service – The first stop for professional medicines advice

Events

Next events

Our forthcoming conferences and webinars covering a range of Medicines Optimisation issues with SPS and other great speakers and presenters.

Past Events

Search our library of past events for recordings, presentations, and interviews with speakers, all to inform your practice.

Recommended across the site

Switching

Our advice on switching between medicines covers switching between antidepressants as well as a range of other common medicines switches.

Choosing between available adalimumab products

Understand the adalimumab products that are available on contract to the NHS. Choose between them appropriately for organisations or individuals.

Managing medical gases and oxygen during periods of high demand

Answers to common questions covering: pharmacy responsibilities, medical gas committees, medical gas pipeline systems, gas delivery systems, and governance

Self-administration of medicines

Self-administering medicines in hospital can benefit patients and organisations alike and should be encouraged wherever it is safe to do

Using solid oral dosage form antibiotics in children

Crushing or dispersing whole solid dosage forms or opening capsules is an "off-label" use. This includes use for Group A streptococcal infections.

Using contraception with enzyme-inducing medicines

Enzyme-inducing medicines reduce the effectiveness of certain contraceptives. Guidance on using contraception with these medicines is given.

Switching between gabapentin and pregabalin for neuropathic pain

An overview of possible dose equivalences, switching methods and considerations to make before switching between gabapentinoids in adults with neuropathic pain.

Using Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants during breastfeeding

Paroxetine and sertraline are the SSRIs of choice. Recommendations apply to full term and healthy infants only.

Using tricyclic antidepressants during breastfeeding

Imipramine and nortriptyline are the tricyclic antidepressants of choice. Recommendations apply to full term and healthy infants only.

Using codeine, dihydrocodeine or tramadol during breastfeeding

Tramadol and dihydrocodeine can be used while breastfeeding for pain control. Codeine should not be used . Advice applies to full term, healthy infants.

COVID-19

COVID-19 Vaccines

Information and guidance from across SPS on pharmaceutical aspects of COVID-19 vaccines’ use

COVID-19 Treatments

Guidance for Chief Pharmacists and supporting documents to achieve Institutional Readiness and deployment of COVID-19 Treatments

Recommended in medication safety

Medication Safety

Resources, guidance and support to assess and improve medication safety culture, strategy and policy within the healthcare system

Collaboration opportunities to improve medication safety

Practical guidance on effective collaboration opportunities to promote medication safety improvements

Communication opportunities to improve medication safety

Effective communication allows for timely responses to new and emerging medication risks and the sharing of potential safety solutions.

Responding to medication safety alerts and notifications

Healthcare professionals responsible for medication safety in their organisation must deliver an appropriate response to safety alerts

Reporting and management of medication incidents and harms

High quality reporting and management of incidents and harms ensures opportunities for learning and improving medication safety

Learning from medication incidents and harms

Practical guidance to ensure opportunities to learn from local intelligence, including patient harm are translated into shared local and national learning

Understanding medication safety policy and frameworks

Healthcare professionals delivering the medication safety agenda in their organisation require an understanding of national policy, frameworks and legislation

Using the Medication Safety Update effectively

Effective use provides assurance that an organisation is aware of the most critical medication safety related information, and acts on this to improve safety

Promoting medication incident reporting

Increased medication incident reporting provides greater opportunities for learning and improving medication safety

Conducting a medication incident investigation

Practical guidance to support those undertaking medication incident investigations

Recommended in PGDs

Templates

National PGD templates are developed with experts for clinical specialties. They reduce duplication and variation, and improve consistency of care.

How to develop a Patient Group Direction

A step by step guide to help organisations and individuals navigate all stages of the PGD development process

When Patient Group Directions are not required

Guidance on when PGDs should not be used and advice on alternative mechanisms for supply and administration of medicines

Planning

Medicines Supply Tool

Latest information on supply issues, actions to take, alternatives to use, and expected resolution dates. Content provided by DHSC and CMU.

Annual medicines planning

Our annual Prescribing Outlook outputs support planning, implementation and budget planning for medicines every year.

Biosimilars Updates

Regularly updated material, in addition to our annual outputs. Includes specific information on ranibizumab biosimilars for ocular use.

Recommended for primary care

Medicines in Compliance Aids Stability Tool

Information on stability for tablets and capsules to help create MCAs for patients. Find entries and then build and print lists specific to your MCA.

Medicines Monitoring

Summarised recommendations and guidance for medicines requiring monitoring to save you time when you're making monitoring decisions with patients

Swallowing difficulties

All our advice on using medicines safely and effectively in patients with swallowing difficulties

Safety in breastfeeding

All our training and guidance to help decision making about the use of medicines in breastfeeding

Safety in pregnancy

All our training and guidance to help decision making about the use of medicines in pregnancy

Managing cardiovascular disease in frail older people

A pragmatic approach for managing common cardiovascular long-term conditions in older people living with frailty, multimorbidity and polypharmacy

Renal and urologic disorders

Complementary medicines

Adverse effects

Reproductive health