Medicines help people stay well and manage many health conditions. It is important that they are prescribed, given and taken safely.
NHS Essex works with local health and care organisations to make sure medicines are used safely and correctly. We help reduce risks, improve patient safety and support high-quality care across Essex.
Why medicines safety matters
Medicines can improve people’s health and quality of life. But problems can happen if the wrong medicine is prescribed, the wrong dose is given, or medicines are not taken as directed.
Medicine-related mistakes can sometimes cause harm or lead to people needing extra treatment or a longer stay in hospital. Many of these problems can be prevented by using medicines safely.
Medicines optimisation means making sure people receive the right medicine, at the right dose, at the right time, and in the best way for them.
How we improve medicines safety
The NHS Essex Pharmacy and Medicines Commissioning team works with hospitals, GP practices, community services and other health and care organisations to improve medicines safety across Essex.
Supporting safe prescribing
We help healthcare professionals prescribe medicines safely and use the latest clinical evidence. This helps people receive the most appropriate treatment and reduces the use of medicines that may not be suitable.
Acting on safety alerts
When national medicines safety alerts are issued, we work with local organisations to put the advice into practice as quickly as possible. This helps keep patients safe.
Checking quality and safety
We review how medicines are managed across NHS services. This helps make sure medicines are stored, prescribed and used safely.
Learning from incidents
When medicine-related incidents happen, we work with our partners to understand what happened and what can be improved. Sharing learning helps prevent similar problems in the future.
Our role across Essex
NHS Essex helps lead work to improve medicines safety across all health and care services.
We:
- support organisations to follow national medicines safety guidance
- work with NHS and social care partners to improve patient safety
- share learning from incidents
- use national best practice to improve local services
Reporting medicines safety concerns
Patients, carers and healthcare professionals can report suspected side effects or concerns about medicines.
You can report side effects through the Yellow Card scheme. Reporting concerns helps improve medicines safety for everyone.
Healthcare professionals can also report medicine-related incidents through NHS reporting systems.
Further information about medicines safety
The following organisations provide additional information about medicines safety and quality:
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) – safety alerts, recalls, and Drug Safety Updates
- Yellow Card scheme – reporting side effects and safety concerns
- Medicines Safety Improvement Programme (MedSIP) – improving medicines safety nationally
- NHS Learn from Patient Safety Events (LFPSE) – national safety learning system
- Care Quality Commission (CQC) – independent regulator of health and social care
- NHS Resolution – learning from medicines incidents and improving safety
These organisations help improve medicines safety through guidance, learning and shared best practice.