Controlled Drugs

 What is a controlled drug?

Controlled drugs (CDs) are drugs which are defined by the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as "dangerous or otherwise harmful" and have the potential for abuse or misuse. To protect patients and the public, stringent safeguards are put in place to control the availability of these drugs. 

Many CDs have legitimate medical uses. The laws that regulate medicinal CD use should never interfere with a patient receiving the most appropriate treatment.

What are the duties of Leeds PCT with regards CD's?

The objective of The Controlled Drugs (Supervision of management and use) Regulations 2006  is to safeguard patients, to improve the quality of the management and use of Controlled Drugs (CDs) and minimize the risk of diversion of CDs to illegitimate uses. The procedures by which the PCT puts these regulations into effect can be found in the PCT CD Policy August 2010.

The destruction of Controlled Drugs (in Schedule 2 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001) held as stock in community pharmacies and dentists and GP practices can be witnessed by officers of NHS Leeds. For more information contact the Leeds Medicines Management Team on 0113 2033402 or medicines@nhsleeds.nhs.uk.

Who is the Accountable Officer for Controlled drugs in Leeds PCT?

Damian Riley, the Medical Director for NHS Airedale , Bradford and Leeds, and NHS Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield is the Primary Care Accountable Officer for controlled drugs across West Yorkshire.

Reporting controlled drugs concerns and incidents

Concerns relating to controlled drugs can be brought to the attention of the accountable officer directly or through any other reporting mechanism such as raising a complaint, registering a patient safety incident, raising a concern on professional practice (whistle blowing) or by contacting the Patient Advisory and Liaison Service (PALS). A form that may be used for the reporting of controlled drugs incidents is available for download at the bottom of this page.

The operation of the PCT's CD policy is managed by Tony Jamieson of the NHS Leeds medicines management team.

Annual Statutory Controlled Drug Declaration.

Doctors who are on the NHS Leeds GP performers list must make a declaration to the PCT in relation to their handling, prescribing and use of controlled drugs. A copy of the declaration can be found here. An online version can be accessed by emailing Tony Jamieson. GPs will receive a request to submit a declartion on a periodic basis.

Resources

The National Prescribing Centre has publised a range of resources relating to controlled drugs legislation and good clinical practice. These include:

• e-learning workshops for community pharmacy and general practice.
•  5 minute guides and a broad range of Guidance and 
• Frequently asked questions

Practitioners should refrain from prescribing any controlled drugs to themselves or their family and close friends. Advice to doctors and pharmacists on managing instances when this is necessary can be found here.

How do the procedures affect patients?

The NHS Direct webpage  informs patients of the additional regulations that govern the number of days supply that can be prescribed, what to expect when collecting supplies of CDs and what is required when CDs are taken out of the country.  It should be noted that some countries may not allow CDs to be taken through the entry ports. It is suggested that patients are advised to look on the UK Foreign and Commonwealth  website for further details.

Treatment of substance misuse

Guidance on the treatment of substance misuse can be found here: Drug Misuse and Dependence. UK guidelines on clinical Management. A template to help audit clinical practice against the standards set in this guidance can be found here.

Related pages on this site

OpioidsSafer medication practice in the use of opioids

Related sites

Forum for members of the West Yorkshire Local Intelligence Network for Controlled DrugsRestricted access forum

Related downloads

CD incident form V1 Feb 2011.doc (0.14 MB)