Themes | Healthcare & Patient Safety | The Accountability Index

High-risk medication monitoring

Inadequate or absent arrangements for monitoring patients prescribed high-risk medicines, leading to potential harm.

135 items 10 sources 1 inquiry

Strongest theme matches

Mixed across source types and ranked by classifier confidence plus text match strength.

Indicative ranking
PFD report
85match
Mohammed Hussain
Jul 2023 · Birmingham and Solihull
The report identifies issues with monitoring clozapine levels, a lack of a safe system to communicate high clozapine levels or effect medication changes, and a lack of understanding of when to measure and how to respond to high clozapine levels; concerns were also raised about pharmacy resourcing and the quality of internal investigations.
Matched on terms: high, medication, monitoring
CQC action
83match
Charlton House Medical Centre
Must Do
Arrangements for monitoring patients prescribed high risk medicines continued to place patients at risk of harm.
Matched on terms: high, monitoring
PFD report
81match
Nathan Cooke
Apr 2019 · Isle of Wight
There's no robust system to manage patients prescribed medication requiring regular monitoring, potentially endangering welfare if they don't attend reviews.
Matched on terms: medication, monitoring
PFD report
77match
Linda Hudson
Sep 2013 · County Durham and Darlington
Hospital discharge of a high-risk patient without family notification, inadequate communication regarding medication protocols, and a delayed nurse follow-up visit created significant safety risks.
Matched on terms: high, medication
PFD report
77match
Wayne O’Neill
Oct 2015 · Worcestershire
There was inadequate recognition of drug contraindications and dangerous psychotropic medication combinations, with no routine ECG monitoring performed despite expert recommendations, leading to significant risks.
Matched on terms: medication, monitoring
PFD report
77match
Sarah Brady
May 2021 · Black Country
A hospital issued an excessive prescription to a high-risk patient with an overdose history, overriding GP-imposed limits and duplicating medication, which potentially enabled stockpiling and increased the risk of overdose.
Matched on terms: high, medication
PFD report
77match
Malcom Garrett
Aug 2022 · Manchester South
There was no specific guidance for managing or expediting discharge for immunosuppressed patients at high risk of COVID-19. Discharge was also delayed by opiate toxicity, exacerbated by inadequate kidney function monitoring.
Matched on terms: high, monitoring
PFD report
77match
Amanda Kramer
Sep 2023 · East London
A patient was prescribed Zoplicone for 18 years without review, despite the drug's short-term license and her high-risk overdose behaviour, raising concerns about medication management.
Matched on terms: high, medication
HSSIB recommendation
77match
The role of clinical pharmacy services in helping to identify and reduce high-risk prescribing errors in hospital
Caring for older patients in hospital often presents a high-risk situation for medication errors occurring. Further efforts should be made to learn from technological developments and the organisation of pharmacy services in other high-risk areas of care that may improve system resilience in older persons care.
Matched on terms: high, medication
PFD report
73match
Stephen Ellis
Mar 2014 · Manchester (South)
A lack of warfarin home management kits for high-risk post-heart surgery patients leads to reliance on less efficient hospital monitoring.
Matched on terms: high, monitoring
PFD report
73match
Thomas Thurling
Aug 2015 · Norfolk
Inadequate monitoring of medication changes, including lack of awareness and delayed reviews, coupled with the absence of a Care Co-ordinator during a period of mental health deterioration due to staff shortages, posed significant risks.
Matched on terms: medication, monitoring
PFD report
73match
Astonn Mitchell-Male
Jul 2018 · Manchester (North)
The Trust lacks a policy for patient medication monitoring and triangulation of information in community settings, compounded by poor and non-existent record keeping, undermining patient safety.
Matched on terms: medication, monitoring
PFD report
73match
Liane Davenport
Oct 2019 · Cumbria
There is a need to consider and recommend routine blood level monitoring for patients on long-term, high-dose antipsychotics, especially for older and frailer individuals.
Matched on terms: high, monitoring
PFD report
73match
Malcolm Garrett
Aug 2022 · Manchester South
There was no specific guidance for managing or expediting discharge for high-risk immunosuppressed patients susceptible to Covid-19 in hospital. Additionally, insufficient monitoring and understanding of kidney function led to opiate toxicity.
Matched on terms: high, monitoring
Scottish FAI
71match
Erin Casey and Christina Fiorre Ilia
Aug 2011
I recommend the following:- (1) The vast majority of patients with epilepsy, or their parents or carers where appropriate, should be advised of the risk of SUDEP on first diagnosis or if , in the particular circumstances of that patient, there are exceptional circumstances for delaying immediate provision of the information, then within a very short time thereafter....
Matched on terms: medication
PFD report
69match
Laurence Boyens
Apr 2015 · London (Inner South)
Healthcare professionals appeared to misunderstand guidelines for managing drug dependence in adult prison settings, particularly around monitoring blood pressure before administering methadone or buprenorphine, and some nurses did not know when to withhold medication or escalate concerns.
Matched on terms: medication, monitoring
PFD report
69match
Margaret Hions
Feb 2016 · Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire
Inadequate adherence to clinical pharmacy policy regarding tinzaparin prescribing, blood level monitoring, and creatinine clearance monitoring posed risks to patient safety.
Matched on terms: monitoring
PFD report
69match
Steven Allen
Jun 2021 · Greater Manchester South
Strong pain medication was prescribed to a patient with a history of drug addiction and self-harm, often through remote consultations, with insufficient challenge or oversight regarding their chaotic lifestyle.
Matched on terms: medication
HSSIB recommendation
69match
Electronic prescribing and medicines administration systems and safe discharge
It is recommended that the Department of Health and Social Care should consider how to prioritise the commissioning of research on human factors and clinical decision support systems; particularly in relation to the configuration of software system alerting and alert fatigue, to establish how best to maximise clinician response to high risk medication alerts.
Matched on terms: high, medication
HSSIB recommendation
66match
Medication not given: anticoagulation before and after a procedure
Does your ePMA system identify patients with paused time-critical medication that may warrant a review?
Matched on terms: medication
PFD report
65match
William Bows
Jul 2015 · South Yorkshire (East)
The report identifies a lack of protocols for advising primary care providers on monitoring patients prescribed Amiodarone, specifically concerning liver function, thyroid tests, and respiratory difficulties.
Matched on terms: monitoring
PFD report
65match
Amanda Spark
Apr 2018 · Dorset
Concerns arose regarding a patient's decision to change her medication regime while under crisis team care, implying potential issues with medication management and oversight.
Matched on terms: medication
PFD report
65match
Ivan O’Neill
Dec 2020 · East London
Inadequate patient monitoring due to a frail, restless patient being out of sight, combined with an insufficiently sensitive dialysis alarm, delayed detection of a critical bleed.
Matched on terms: monitoring
PFD report
65match
Evelina Vilkiene
Mar 2023 · East London
The mental health team failed to conduct detailed risk assessments or implement risk management plans during care transitions and medication weaning for a patient at increased self-harm risk, and did not ensure required weekly reviews.
Matched on terms: medication
PFD report
65match
William Northcott
Jan 2025 · Devon, Plymouth and Torbay
Disparities in Clozapine monitoring between specialist clinics and GP practices lead to inadequate patient education on side effects, while guidance also underemphasizes cardiomyopathy risks for this cardiotoxic drug.
Matched on terms: monitoring
PPO recommendation
64match
Manx Care
Manx Care should ensure that patients who come in with complex and high-risk medication (as per the RCGP guidance) have a medication review when they arrive at the prison.
Matched on terms: high, medication
PPO recommendation
64match
The Head of Healthcare
The Head of Healthcare should ensure that when high or medium risk medications such as amitriptyline are prescribed, the prescriber ensures that a further in-possession risk assessment takes place in line with local and national policy.
Matched on terms: high, medication
PFD report
61match
Lucy Kilvert
Oct 2013 · Black Country
A significant delay occurred in performing a CT scan for an elderly patient on blood thinners after a fall, suggesting NICE Guidelines may not sufficiently emphasize the significance of medication in such cases.
Matched on terms: medication
PFD report
61match
Moses McDonald
Dec 2014 · London (Inner South)
The Clozapine clinic failed to conduct mandatory and regular glucose testing for patients receiving antipsychotic medication, posing a significant safety concern.
Matched on terms: medication
PFD report
61match
Judith Saville
Jan 2015 · Exeter & Greater Devon
Over-prescription of medication to a patient with a history of overdoses was identified. There was a lack of a robust computer system to warn practitioners about overdose history, and an action plan's implementation needed auditing.
Matched on terms: medication
PFD report
61match
Dorothy Delaney
Sep 2015 · Manchester (West)
The concurrent prescription of antiplatelet and anticoagulant medications without specialist advice contradicted national guidelines, significantly increasing haemorrhage risk, especially given the patient's amyloid angiopathy.
Matched on terms: medication
PFD report
61match
Ann Jacobs
Mar 2016 · Derbyshire
There is a lack of consistent 8-hourly potassium level monitoring and adherence to Trust guidance for patients diagnosed with severe hypokalaemia, posing a risk of adverse cardiac events.
Matched on terms: monitoring
PFD report
61match
Marjorie Bassendine
Nov 2016 · Surrey
Failure to recognise the cardiac risks of multiple psychotropic medications led to a lack of pre-treatment and regular ECGs to monitor for potential QT interval prolongation.
Matched on terms: medication
PFD report
61match
Jamie Poole
Mar 2021 · Stoke-on-Trent & North Staffordshire Coroner’s Court
It is not standard practice across all trusts to regularly test magnesium levels in transplant patients on immunosuppressive medication, despite a known life-threatening side effect, posing an inconsistent risk.
Matched on terms: medication
PFD report
61match
Bruce Houghton
May 2021 · Manchester North
The deceased missed an annual medication review, and such reviews fail to inquire about patients' over-the-counter medication use, risking adverse drug interactions.
Matched on terms: medication
PFD report
61match
Teresa Bennett
Feb 2024 · North West Wales
Widespread non-compliance with medication review targets and a lack of standardised review practices led to insufficient patient advice, increasing the risk of inadvertent overdose from combined medications.
Matched on terms: medication
PFD report
61match
Laura-Jane Seaman
Dec 2024 · Essex
Critical failures in medical record-keeping, delayed patient escalation, non-compliance with major haemorrhage protocols, and misidentification of maternal collapse contributed to the death, highlighting training deficiencies in covert bleeding.
Matched on terms: high
HSSIB recommendation
60match
Potential under-recognised risk of harm from the use of propranolol
Safety action by NHS England/NHS Improvement In March 2019, NHS England wrote to ambulance trusts in England regarding the management of cases where patients have self-harmed and are at risk of suicide. This included specific reference to patients who may have taken an overdose of medication. The letter acknowledged that there were varying models in place for the...
Matched on terms: medication
PFD report
57match
Hireiti Kuflesion
Oct 2015 · Birmingham and Solihull
Pregnant women with mechanical heart valves received insufficient Clexane dosing and monitoring, combined with clinicians' lack of understanding of thrombosis risks, resulting in delayed diagnosis.
Matched on terms: monitoring
PFD report
57match
Chand Ali
Mar 2019
Cyclizine, cautioned for severe heart failure, is routinely administered without individual risk assessment or monitoring of adverse outcomes. There has been no review of alternative antiemetics.
Matched on terms: monitoring
PFD report
57match
John James
Jul 2023 · East London
A critical lack of an electronic system to alert medical staff when essential anti-coagulation medication is refused or unadministered, significantly increasing the risk of life-threatening venous thrombo-embolism.
Matched on terms: medication
PFD report
57match
Jacqueline Green
Apr 2025 · Bedfordshire and Luton
The hospital failed to adopt national safety recommendations for paracetamol dosage in low-bodyweight patients, leading to overdose risks due to inadequate prescribing alerts, estimated weight entry, and insufficient staff training.
Matched on classifier match
CQC action
57match
Ellesmere Port Hospital
Should Do
The trust should review the prescribing of medicines that control distressed behaviour to ensure the policy is followed and monitoring is completed.
Matched on terms: monitoring
CQC action
56match
Kettering General Hospital
Must Do
The servicemust ensure the proper and safe management of medicines. This includes but is not limited to ensuring medication is correct and appropriate to the patient’s situation and needs; ensuring staff follow policies and procedures in managing medicines; weights are recorded when prescribing medicines; staff record the number of controlled drugs administered to patients in the controlled drug...
Matched on terms: medication
PPO recommendation
56match
The GP Lead at HMP Exeter
The GP Lead at HMP Exeter should review prescribing processes to ensure high-risk medication assessments are completed in a timely way, with consideration of the impact on the individual
Matched on terms: high, medication
PPO recommendation
55match
The Head of Healthcare at HMP Wandsworth
The Head of Healthcare should ensure that the prescribers have a face-to-face conversation with a prisoner if there is an intention to reduce or cease any high risk prescribed medication.
Matched on terms: high, medication
PHSO casework decision
55match
P-004325 - University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
Upheld
Complaint alleged inappropriate treatment of pregnancy-induced hypertension, inadequate monitoring, failure to administer epilepsy medication, and sterilisation performed without informed consent during childbirth.
Matched on terms: medication, monitoring
PFD report
53match
Bridget Cahill
Jun 2014 · Black Country
The coroner questions how a patient prescribed morphine can overdose despite receiving less than the prescribed amount, suggesting attention be given to the maximum recommended dose and factors influencing morphine buildup in the body.
Matched on classifier match
PFD report
53match
Megan Jones
Apr 2019 · Isle of Wight
A lack of formal policy or protocol for GP surgeries to monitor patients prescribed Clozapine, specifically regarding QTc recording and when exceeding BNF limits, poses a safety risk.
Matched on classifier match
PFD report
53match
Christopher Summerhayes
Aug 2019 · South Wales Central
Complex polypharmacy involving Clozapine led to severe side effects and potential misinterpretation of overdose symptoms, while a possible contraindicating familial lipid disorder was not confirmed.
Matched on classifier match
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