Nicola Wake talks to Melissa Melly, a pharmacy technician in GP practice.  Melly shares how she resolved a difficulty in arranging blood tests related to medicines monitoring by undertaking venepuncture training and delivering urgent or overdue blood test appointments in a weekly clinic.

Phlebotomy: a Pharmacy Technician Coffee Break Conversation

In this episode John Oliver speaks to expert guests about evaluating the suitability of unlicensed medicines for the patient. We discuss practical considerations for managing them in dispensaries, performing a quality assessment and good governance frameworks. (29m:55s)

Speakers: 

John Oliver, Quality Assurance Specialist; NHS SPS 
Dr. Andrew Lowey, Lead Clinician, Pharmacy Preparative Services Leeds Teaching Hospitals, and chair of the NHS Pharmacy Production Committee 
Penny Daynes, Associate Regional Pharmacy Procurement Specialist; NHS SPS, North East and Yorkshire 
Katherine Cullen, Divisional Director Clinical Support Services, Chief Pharmacist; Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust 
Lynn Morrison, Regional Quality Assurance Specialist; NHS Scotland 
Amanda Cooper, Assistant Head of NHS SPS 

Useful links:

MHRA guidance 
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supply-unlicensed-medicinal-products-specials (MHRA guidance on unlicensed medicinal products – specials, including Guidance Note 14) 

SPS guidance 
https://www.sps.nhs.uk/home/guidance/unlicensed-medicines/ 

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/understanding-excipients-in-medicines/ 

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/searching-for-presence-or-absence-of-an-excipient-in-medicines/ 

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/navigating-a-potential-supply-issue/ (SPS log-in required) 

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/managing-complexities-of-medication-use-across-care-boundaries/ (Medication Safety across the System providing resources that include valuable real-world examples of safely managing unlicensed liquid medicines)

Unlicensed medicines: good practice principles

Audio from our webinar held on the 4 March 2025 which featured a facilitated case-based discussion about the complexities of polypharmacy and deprescribing. This was a follow on from our first webinar, which lays the foundations of some of the deprescribing tools available. (57m02s)

Speakers: 
Lelly Oboh: Older people lead, NHS SPS
Jasvir Singh Dhillon: Clinical pharmacist, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin ICB, & GP practices
Rakhi Aggarwal: Primary care lead, NHS SPS

Primary care discussions: personalised evidence-based medicine to minimise polypharmacy

NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service serves healthcare professionals across the NHS who are involved in all aspects of buying, making and using medicines.  Our motto is 'do once and share'.

Unlicensed medicines: good practice principles

NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service

Related tracks