Veterinary medicines
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, together with the Scottish Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, has published a paper on reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act1966. Of possible interest to members, the paper proposes:
- Legislation will require veterinary surgeons to adhere to minimum standards set by the regulator.
- The standards would include:
- good governance, record and data keeping and alignment with professional and legal requirements (this could include keeping and sharing data on specific items, such as antibiotic usage)
- responsible management and usage of medicines
- The paper asks for responses to a number of questions, including whether a list of specific things should be assessed by the regulator. The list includes management, storage and usage of medicines.
Ketamine
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs has produced a report on ketamine with a number of recommendations. The recommendations include:
- Statutory controls and scheduling under the Misuse of Drugs Act and Misuse of Drugs Regulations should remain unchanged. though this was not a unanimous decision.
- International control, the criminal justice system and law enforcement.
- Consideration should be given to cascading a National Patient Safety Alert to all NHS healthcare organisations to inform them of the public health treat caused by increasing ketamine use.
- Community drug services, primary care providers, hospitals and others should work collaboratively to deliver holistic support. This should include drug treatment alongside specialist urology, main management, hepatology and gastroenterology services.
- Clinical guidelines for prescribing off-label should be developed, including who is able to prescribe appropriate doses and indications for ketamine use. They should include templates for prescribing in the community.