The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 275 No 7365 p281
3 September 2005

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· Research
· Wholesalers
· Original pack dispensing
· Controlled drugs
· Prescribing
· NICE
· Reciprocity
· Dermatology
· Birdsgrove House
· Registration examination (2)
· New pharmacy contract

Letters to the Editor

Controlled drugs

Maintaining a running balance is not so difficult

From Dr R. C. Jacob, MRPharmS

It is perhaps apposite that my comments have a link with respect to the letter from John Urwin (PJ, 20 August, p226), and the considerable attention given to the prison pharmacy services in the same issue.

When I joined the prison service over 40 years ago, it was the practice, and had been for so for many years, to maintain a running balance of Controlled (then dangerous) Drugs. This was not the case in respect to the “outside world”. This raises in my mind the thought that if maintaining balances of Controlled Drugs had been the norm, then the circumstances regarding the Shipman affair might well have been different.

With due respect to Mr Urwin, I think he makes heavy weather of the work entailed in maintaining running balances of Controlled Drugs. Further, in his final paragraph, he writes somewhat disparagingly of “providing self-protection”. What is wrong with that? Health professionals owe it to their colleagues as well as to themselves to be ever vigilant.

Roger Jacob
Orpington, Kent

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