Chris Goodwin and Rebecca Jones
Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board
“A Healthier Wales: our Plan for Health and Social Care” is a Welsh Government initiative designed to “make an impact on the populations health and wellbeing by supporting people to manage their own health and wellbeing, and by enabling people to live independently for as long as they can, supported by new technologies and by integrated health and social care services which are delivered closer to home”.
This vision can be achieved within aseptic services by:
- Delivering care closer to home through Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy (OPAT) services, improving patient experience by administering intravenous antibiotics outside of hospitals.
- Reducing errors in the manipulation and administration of medicines through aseptic manufacturing.
- Freeing up nursing time for other tasks. A study at YMW showed that aseptic manufacturing of Tazocin could save 179 hours of nursing time over 8 weeks.
- Maximising the medicines budget by reducing the need for outsourcing and establishing a self-sufficient service.
- Automating the manufacture of high-demand products to reduce risks associated with medication handling.
Our proposed project involves automating the manufacturing process of Piperacillin/ Tazobactam bags. We aim to gather data for the MHRA to ensure the product and its manufacturing method are both fit for purpose. This project will strengthen sector resilience and highlight the importance of technical services within the NHS.
The project aligns with key initiatives such as:
- Transforming Access to Medicines (TRAMS)
- Transforming NHS pharmacy aseptic services in England
- The Six Goals for Emergency Care
