UK multidisciplinary Consensus Document – Safe Management of Hazardous Medicinal Products in UK Healthcare Settings
We are pleased to jointly publish the new UK multidisciplinary consensus document, Safe Management of Hazardous Medicinal Products in UK Healthcare Settings.
Hazardous medicinal products (HMPs) are used across a wide range of therapeutic areas and healthcare settings. While these medicines provide important benefits for patients, occupational exposure may present risks to healthcare workers and others involved throughout the medicines lifecycle.
The consensus document has been developed through multidisciplinary collaboration and aims to support a more consistent UK approach to the identification, occupational risk assessment and safe management of HMPs.
It highlights current variation in practice and sets out recommendations for:
- establishing a nationally recognised UK framework for the identification and classification of HMPs;
- encouraging safer medicinal product design;
- developing nationally consistent PPE standards;
- improving access to occupational health and safety information; and
- improving consistent implementation through multidisciplinary education, competency, collaboration, governance and occupational risk assessment.
The document also identifies priorities for future work, including the evaluation of closed-system technologies as engineering controls throughout the medicines lifecycle.
The recommendations are intended to support healthcare organisations and professionals across all healthcare settings and therapeutic areas where HMPs are handled, rather than being limited to oncology services.
Published jointly by BOPA – British Oncology Pharmacy Association, UKONS – UK Oncology Nursing Society, PASG – Pharmacy Aseptic Services Group, RCN – Royal College of Nursing and APTUK – Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK. Please note that consultation remains ongoing. Additional professional bodies and stakeholder organisations are reviewing the recommendations and may be added as endorsing organisations following publication.
Read the full consensus document here: UK multidisciplinary consensus document- Safe Management of Hazardous Medicinal Products in UK Healthcare Settings – BOPA
Members, UK Multidisciplinary Working Group
Please note:
Consultation and Endorsement
These recommendations have been developed through multidisciplinary consultation and are endorsed by the organisations listed in section 11 at the time of publication. Consultation remains ongoing. Additional professional bodies and stakeholder organisations are reviewing the recommendations and may be added as endorsing organisations following publication or minor changes may be made to the document.
Publication of these initial recommendations represents the first stage of a wider programme of work. The subsequent development of detailed guidance and implementation arrangements will require broader multidisciplinary engagement, four-nation representation and further stakeholder consultation to ensure that
the resulting approach is applicable and workable across healthcare settings and professional groups throughout the UK.
Stakeholders are invited to review the document and provide any comments, feedback, or suggested amendments as part of the consultation process. Please submit all responses to Joseph Williams and Netty Cracknell via the BOPA email address – [email protected]
