Services Database Supervised Consumption of Substitute Medication for Treatment of Substance Misuse (City & Hackney)

Aims
It is expected that dispensing and supervised consumption of OST will ensure compliance with the
agreed treatment plan by:

• Dispensing prescribed medication in specified instalments.
• Ensuring each supervised dose is correctly administered for the service user for whom it was
  intended (doses may be dispensed for the service user to take away to cover the days the
  Contractor is closed) in accordance with the prescription and Royal Pharmaceutical Society/Home Office guidance
• Ensure each supervised dose is correctly consumed by the service user for whom it was
  intended
• Providing service users with regular contact with a healthcare professional (pharmacist)
• Monitoring the service user’s response to prescribed treatment for example if there are signs
  of overdose, especially at times when doses are changed.
• Liaising with the prescriber or named Company Recovery Worker as appropriate, if the
  service user appears intoxicated or when the service user has missed doses, and, if necessary
  withholding treatment if this is in the interest of service user safety.
• Improving retention in drug treatment and opportunities for recovery.
• Improving drug treatment delivery and successful exit from treatment.
• Help service users’ access treatment by offering referral to specialist drug and alcohol
  treatment centres and health and social care professionals where appropriate.
• Reduce the risk to local communities of diversion of prescribed medicines onto the illicit drugs market and contribute to a reduction in drug related deaths in the community through
  accidental exposure to prescribed OST medication.

To be accredited to provide the service the pharmacist must:

• have successfully completed the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) open learning course ‘Opiate Treatment – Supporting Pharmacists for Improved Patient Care’ or the RCGP part 1 course;
• attend in full an initial local training event prior to commencement and at least one annual update training event in full thereafter when these are held; and
• must maintain clinical knowledge appropriate to their practise by attending relevant study days, courses and to make themselves aware of and familiar with appropriate literature.