The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 279 No 7465 p189
18 August 2007

Society summary

An occasional feature, prepared in the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s Professional Standards Directorate, to highlight problems and inquiries currently being handled

Law and Ethics Bulletin, 2001 to present

New powers for accountable officers and operating department practitioners following changes to Controlled Drugs legislation

Destruction of schedule 1, 2, 3 and 4 part I Controlled Drugs

New powers for accountable officers and operating department practitioners following changes to Controlled Drugs legislation

Accountable officers (AOs) are now able to authorise a person or a class of persons to witness the destruction of Controlled Drugs (CDs). This allows AOs to ensure that there are sufficient people authorised to witness the destruction of CDs in the area for which they are responsible. This will also reduce the potential for a build up of out-of-date or surplus CDs waiting to be destroyed. However, AOs are not authorised to witness personally the destruction of CDs, as they must be completely independent from the day-to-day management of CDs.

Operating department practitioners (ODPs) are health care professionals registered with the Health Professions Council. ODPs are now able to possess and supply Schedule 2–5 CDs for the purpose of administering to a patient in certain circumstances. These CDs can only be supplied to them by the person responsible for the dispensing and supply of medicines at the hospital in which they are practising.

ODPs can supply CDs for administration to a patient in a ward, theatre or other department in accordance with the directions of a doctor, dentist, supplementary prescriber (acting in accordance with the terms of a clinical management plan) or nurse independent prescriber. The directions given by a nurse independent prescriber relate only to the limited list of CDs which they may prescribe and are subject to restrictions on the purpose for which that drug may be prescribed. This new authority does not enable ODPs to requisition CDs.

These amendments to the authority of AOs and ODPs in relation to CDs came into force on 16 August 2007.

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Destruction of schedule 1, 2, 3 and 4 part I Controlled Drugs

Pharmacists are advised that all Schedule 1, 2, 3 and 4 Part I CDs must be rendered irretrievable or denatured before being supplied to their waste carrier, unless the waste carrier has a licence to possess these CDs. This is because there are no provisions within the Misuse of Drugs Regulations for a waste carrier to possess Schedule 1, 2, 3 and 4 Part I CDs unless it has an appropriate licence.

Therefore pharmacists are advised to denature these CDs before supplying them to a waste carrier.