Madeleine Foster, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Clinical Fellow at SPS, presents a summary of the resources published by SPS between 29th March and 4th April.

To easily find a list of newly published pages go to sps.nhs.uk, select ‘search’, click in the search bar, and press enter.

Quick links to highlighted resources:

Switching between morphine and other opioids in palliative care

Switching between oral morphine and other oral opioids requires care and thoughtful application of a stepped process.

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/switching-between-morphine-and-other-opioids-in-palliative-care/

An example oral opioid switch from morphine to oxycodone

An example scenario to support you when switching or advising on switching between morphine and other oral opioids in cancer and palliative care.

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/an-example-oral-opioid-switch-from-morphine-to-oxycodone/

Estimating dose equivalence from oral morphine to other opioids

Use our tool to obtain approximate dose equivalences of oral morphine to other oral opioids and help you calculate an estimated equivalent daily dose

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/estimating-dose-equivalence-from-oral-morphine-to-other-opioids/

Assessing the clinical impact of lactose in medicines

People with lactose intolerance may request lactose-free medicines although the amounts, when present as an excipient, are unlikely to cause symptoms in most.

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/assessing-the-clinical-impact-of-lactose-in-medicines/

Using potassium permanganate for skin conditions or wound care

Potassium permanganate is a chemical product. We review the evidence for using it in wound care and highlight the risk of severe harm associated with wrong use.

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/using-potassium-permanganate-for-skin-conditions-or-wound-care/

Accessing resources for patients on high risk medicines

A number of resources are available to support the safe use of high-risk medicines. Healthcare professionals should ensure they are available for their patients

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/articles/accessing-resources-for-patients-on-high-risk-medicines/

Next events – forthcoming webinars and conferences

https://www.sps.nhs.uk/home/events/next-events/

Podcast description:

NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service serves healthcare professionals across the NHS who are involved in all aspects of buying, making and using medicines. Our motto is 'do once and share'.