Here are the latest CQC Mythbusters which have been updated:
- Nigel’s surgery 92: Anticoagulant Monitoring in Primary Care
- Nigel’s surgery 70: Mandatory Training Considerations in General Practice
- Nigel’s surgery 1: Resuscitation in GP Surgeries
- Nigel’s surgery 23: Security of Blank Prescription Forms
A) Nigel’s surgery 92: Anticoagulant Monitoring in Primary Care
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has issued guidance on monitoring patients prescribed anticoagulants during the COVID-19 pandemic. This CQC mythbuster has been updated, and also reminds prescribers to ensure anticoagulants treatment is stopped before starting treatment with other anticoagulants. This is to reduce the risk of over-anticoagulation and bleeding.
Guidance on prescribing and managing anticoagulants is detailed in NICE oral anticoagulation clinical knowledge summary.
B) Nigel’s surgery 70: Mandatory Training Considerations in General Practice
Although this is an exceptionally challenging time, it is still important to deliver safe and high-quality care and treatment, and Healthcare workers should not be expected to take on activity that they have not been trained to do or do not have the skills for. The CQC have updated this mythbuster to include information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency. In this current emergency period the CQC advises providers to record any decisions and actions which need to be taken to manage risks in order to keep patients and staff safe.
Therefore, it is for individual providers to:
- Decide what training is mandatory and how this training is delivered during the pandemic
- Make this clear to staff
- Monitor how staff engage with it
C) Nigel’s surgery 1: Resuscitation in GP Surgeries
There are concerns about the risk of transmission of COVID-19, and the CQC emphasises the guidance issued by the Resuscitation Council UK which confirms the crucial importance of doing CPR for a person in cardiac arrest. The CQC have updated this mythbuster to include information about resuscitation during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The Resuscitation Council UK provides information and resources on Coronavirus (COVID-19), CPR and resuscitation, including in Primary Care settings. All practices should be able to show they are able to assess and appropriately manage severely ill patients who may present to them with COVID-19.
D) Nigel’s surgery 23: Security of Blank Prescription Forms
This mythbuster has been revised to include updated guidance from the NHS Counter Fraud Agency which gives a range of measures to prevent and tackle prescription form theft and misuse. It also outlines the recommended actions when an incident occurs, and includes information on:
- Destroying spoiled or duplicate prescriptions
- Sending prescriptions by post
- Transferring prescriptions from one site to another (for example to a branch surgery)
- Locum access to prescriptions
- Alerts, investigations and sanctions
- Audit
- Security of computer systems
- Missing or lost prescription forms
- Forged prescriptions
- Reporting incidents
