The virtual System Wide Out of Stock Working Group (SWOOSWG) was set up to manage any critical drug shortages, across the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough health system, within a timely manner to ensure safe patient transfer between health sectors and to alleviate any risk to patient safety. SWOOSWG is a reactive group set up to manage critical drug shortages proactively.
Our project was set up to adapt to the changing organisational landscape of more integrated working and to develop further collaborative working across the wider Cambridgeshire and Peterborough health system, by reducing duplication and improving communication between healthcare professionals in primary, secondary and tertiary care to mitigate risk to patient safety in relation to medication shortages.
This project has identified a streamlined process for responding to critical drug shortages which has extended communication contacts within the STP. Through improved and effective communication, we proactively encourage identification of patients potentially affected by critical drug shortages which minimises the risk of harm to patients.
This STP wide process allows recommendations to be made to clinicians urgently which potentially reduces hospital referrals/advice sought from secondary care, decreases demand on GP and community pharmacy as well as decreasing NHS expenditure by finding the most clinically cost-effective alternative.
