At least one medication error per hospital patient occurs each day

Just how rigorous public acute hospitals are in preventing medication errors will come under health watchdog scrutiny from next month.

A number of hospitals have already been written to by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) advising them that one-day on-site inspections will take place from next month. The hospitals, not publicly identified by Hiqa, will be given 10 working days’ notice of the pending inspection.

Aoife Lenihan, lead inspector on Hiqa’s medication safety monitoring programme, said that while most medication errors do not result in patient harm, they have “in some instances, the potential to result in catastrophic harm or death to patients”.

“Medication safety has been identified by a number of bodies in Ireland as a key focus for improvement and it is estimated that on average, at least one medication error per hospital patient occurs each day,” Ms Lenihan said. “This means that there could be up to three million medication errors in Irish public hospitals per year.”

The new inspection regime, adding to a burgeoning inspection programme conducted by Hiqa, will be conducted in three phases. Ms Lenihan said the phased approach would allow them support hospitals in making incremental improvements in managing medication more safely.

Phase one will involve assessing structures in place for medication management and safety with a particular focus on governance. Ms Lenihan said examples of good practice include hospitals having a committee or a designated person for overseeing medication safety.

“There is research out there around what systems hospitals can employ and we will be looking to see if those structures and processes are in place,” Ms Lenihan said.

“If we come across areas of high risk, we will immediately ask for assurances from the hospital as to how they intend to mitigate that risk.”

During the second phase, Hiqa will examine in further detail how hospitals have designed, implemented, and are monitoring the ongoing effectiveness of defined medication safety processes and systems.

Phase 3 will look at medicine optimisation. The inspection reports will be published on the Hiqa website.

Separately, Health Minister Simon Harris confirmed yesterday that Ireland will formally bid to host the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in the aftermath of Brexit. The EMA, responsible for the protection of public and animal health through the scientific evaluation and supervision of medicines, has been based in London since 1995.

Mr Harris said that, in light of the British decision to leave the EU, “it appears inevitable that the European Medicines Agency will have to be relocated to another EU member state”.

“The Irish Government believes that Dublin would be a very suitable location and that a move to the Irish capital would minimise the disruption to the business of the EMA, thus ensuring continued protection of EU citizens and providing reassurance to the industries which it regulates,” said Mr Harris.

He said he believes relocation to Dublin “should prove very attractive to EMA staff and their families”.

An interdepartmental/interagency group will be established immediately in an effort to land the agency and the group will develop a detailed proposal by early 2017.