Greater Glasgow and Clyde Medicines

Key Messages

• Non-pharmacological approaches should be used first-line to manage stress and distress in dementia.
• Psychotropic medications carry the risk of side effects which may cause serious avoidable harms (e.g. falls, sedation, etc) and should be used as a last resort in the management of stress and distress - other causes should be ruled out including infection, constipation, and pain.
• If required, the lowest effective dose of psychotropic medication should be prescribed for the shortest possible period with regular review.
• For patients under Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT) psychotropic medication changes should be made in collaboration with their CMHT.

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This post summarises the latest NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde decisions relating to new medicines assessed by SMC and considered by the Area Drug and Therapeutics Committee (ADTC) and uses a nationally developed format specifically aimed for patients and the public.

For full details of the medicines included in this post that are available for use, including any restrictions on prescribing, please see the relevant entry in the GGC Formulary

• NHS Scotland spends £1.8 billion each year on medicines; £660 million of this total is within NHSGGC
• In 2024/25, NHSGGC is expected to spend an additional £35 million on medicines in primary care, with no increase in funding from Scottish Government
• If no action is taken to improve the efficiency of prescribing within NHSGGC, there will be an adverse impact on the provision of other health and care services
• All prescribers within NHSGGC are asked to reflect on their prescribing practice to ensure that medicines prescribed are:
• Evidence based
• Cost-effective
• Necessary for the patient

• The prescribing rate of lidocaine plasters in NHSGGC is more than double the rest of Scotland and more than 20 times the rate in NHS England

• Current annual cost of lidocaine plasters in NHSGGC is £7.1m and use is predicted to grow by 25% (£1.8m) in the next 12 months, if no action is taken.

• The Antibiotic therapy following 4 days IV Gentamicin  guideline has been updated following a review by the GGC Antimicrobial Utilisation Committee (AUC)

To access the full blog via Microsoft Sway, click here

To access the full blog via Microsoft Sway, click here