NHS England report that one of the main themes arising from serious incidents and concerns is the diversion of lower schedule controlled drugs (codeine, dihydrocodeine, diazepam, and morphine sulfate oral solution) by healthcare staff for their own personal use. This poses a risk to patients, to staff and a loss of assets by the NHS.
- Incident trends indicate that internal thefts are occurring in both the NHS and independent sectors, primary and secondary care and within all staff groups whether registered or unregistered as clinicians.
- Controlled drug accountable officers and colleagues should have monitoring processes in place with the aim of detecting such losses if they occur.
Our Advice
- Supervisors to be vigilant around CD security
- Refer to colleagues responsible for support, and put in place measures to prevent recurrence
- Contact your TIAA Local Security Management Specialist/Anti-Crime Specialist for crime prevention advice
For further discussion and support, including fraud awareness training services, please contact: Jonathan Gladwin, Director of Anti-Crime Services Email: security@tiaa.co.uk