GGC Medicines: HEPMA Update 2

HEPMA Update 2– October 2022

This month’s blog highlights a number of issues around how to use the system safely and most effectively.

Please contact nhsggc.hepma@ggc.scot.nhs.uk if you have any ideas for future blogs.

Transfer processes for patients

The transfer of patients is a key place for ensuring continuity across the patient journey
Transfers should be completed via Trakcare by the sending ward. Any staff who transfer patients should ensure they are aware of the correct process. Learnpro has two relevant courses – Bed Management and Mental Health ADT
Incorrect Trakcare process will discharge the patient on HEPMA not transfer them. This will then need to be cancelled to retain drug data for the admission.

Find detail on how to cancel a discharge on HEPMA here:-

Particular care needs to be taken in transfer between sites within GG&C, particularly between acute and mental health sites. This is still a transfer on Trakcare - don’t discharge and re-admit.

Checking process for medicine administration

HEPMA has changed the way we do the medicines administration, however, the principles of safe medicine administration still apply
Before you administer a medicine to a patient, you must confirm their identity and cross-check it with the HEPMA patient record you are using.
If the patient is unable to identify themselves use the appropriate process approved in your area.
Check the medication prepared matches the prescription chart in terms of drug, dose, route and time of administration.
The five rights of medication are critical when using HEPMA:
- The right patient.
- The right drug.
- The right dose.
- The right route.
- The right time.

Product based prescribing

HEPMA is a product based prescribing system similar to GP prescribing systems.
Care should be taken to select the correct product when prescribing. If in doubt ask nursing staff what they use on the ward.
Some products will have restricted dosing to prevent use of part dose forms – this is because they should not be used for part doses and another product might be more suitable (e.g. enoxaparin 20mg and 40mg can only give a full dose, other enoxaparin products allow part syringes to be used – 60mg syringes and above and multidose vials for paediatrics).
When administering take care to ensure the correct dose is being given as this may be different to the product formulation.

Coming soon – Transfer of HEPMA data to the discharge letter on Orion Portal

The HEPMA team and the clinical team on the 6th Floor at QEUH have been piloting the transfer of HEPMA data from HEPMA into the Orion Clinical Portal. This pilot is now complete and we will shortly be rolling this out across GG&C, once governance approval has been gained. We aim to support this with user training across each site. Look out for further updates of when this will be and when to expect the HEPMA team in your area.

Further information on HEPMA, including links to guides and training videos, can be found on StaffNet (GGC Network access required).

Previous Medicines Update blogs on HEPMA can be found by searching ‘HEPMA’ on GGC Medicines: Home.

Published: 12/10/2022. Medicines Update blogs are correct at the time of publishing