• Annette Lankshear, Karin Lowson, and Saul N Weingart.
• Cardiff School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies, Eastgate House, UK. lankshearaj@cardiff.ac.uk
• BMJ Qual Saf. 2011 Apr 1; 20 (4): 360-5.

ObjectivesTo assess the quality and impact of medication safety outputs issued by the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) to the NHS in England and Wales.MethodsA multi-method study comprising (1) focus groups and interviews with NHS Chief Pharmacists and (2) an electronic survey of medical, nursing and clinical governance directors.ResultsAcute sector respondents agreed that the medication outputs had a major impact on patient safety. Pharmacists welcomed national support for medication safety improvement, despite the resulting workload. Medical Directors were much less likely to be aware of alerts and Rapid Response Reports (RRRs) than their nursing and clinical governance colleagues. One key finding was the inability of around half of NHS trusts to communicate effectively and reliably with their junior doctors.ConclusionMedication alerts issued by the NPSA have stimulated significant work to improve medication safety and are believed to have had an important impact on patient safety.

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