Children's medicines

In partnership with organisations representing health professionals, children and young people, and parents and carers, the College manages and supports projects in paediatric medicines. 

• Joint RCPCH/NPPG standing committee on medicines
• Medicines information for parents and carers
• Major trauma and the use of tranexamic acid in children statement
• Improving practice - parenteral nutrition for children
• Unlicensed medicines statement
• Paediatric prescribing tool
• Medicines for Children Research Network (MCRN)

The Medicines Committee is a unique collaborative standing committee with membership split between the RCPCH and Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacists Group (NPPG). The Committee has four key work areas:

• British National Formulary For Children (BNFC) guidance - Input into policy issues and support production of future editions
• Consultation - Respond to consultation documents from the Government and outside agencies, including the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE)
• Lobbying - Advise and support external agencies and parental bodies about licensing, availability, use and surveillance of medicines in paediatric populations, including medicines used outside of the license, newly licensed products, unlicensed medicines for rare conditions and adverse reactions to medicines
• Medicines for children - Support initiatives:
   - Medicines for Children - information resource for parents and carers
   - Medicines for Children Research Network (MCRN) - support research opportunities and implications for practice
   - Education and training resources

For more information about the Medicines Committee email the Committee Administrator.

Medicines information for parents and carers

Medicines for Children gives practical and reliable information for parents and carers about giving medicines to their child.

Our new website - launched in December 2011 - features leaflets covering more than 100 medicines prescribed to children, instructional films on giving medicines, parents' stories, and news about children's medicines

http://www.medicinesforchildren.org.uk/

For more information about the programme go to the Medicines for Children page.

Major trauma and the use of tranexamic acid in children statement

This statement produced jointly by members of the RCPCH/NPPG Medicines Committee and the Clinical Standards Committee is intended to provide guidance on the dose of tranexamic acid (TXA) in major trauma to ensure consistency with adult trauma. The statement should not preclude the development of suitable robust research studies in this area to improve knowledge.

•  Major trauma and the use of tranexamic acid in children PDF(50KB, 4 pages)

For more information please email: karina.pall@rcpch.ac.uk

Improving practice and reducing the risks of using parenteral nutrition for children

This report will help practitioners from all professions improve practice and reduce the risks in the provision of parenteral nutrition (PN) for children and neonates.

The chief pharmacists from specialist children’s hospitals, the Paediatric Chief Pharmacists Group along with input from the RCPCH have scoped current practice across the UK and made recommendations to improve practice and reduce risks in the provision of PN for neonates and children.

View the report on the Royal Pharmaceutical Society website

Unlicensed medicines statement

Paediatric prescribing tool

This training tool was developed by a small working group from RCPCH and NPPG as a rapid response to critical incidents of gross prescribing errors affecting children.

Tested by about 40 practitioners, it is based on best practice and similar tools in use. The tool alerts supervising consultants when a staff member needs extra support for paediatric prescribing.

For more information and to download the tool, including scenarios, assessor's sheet and teaching presentation, go to the paediatric prescribing tool page.

Medicines for Children Research Network (MCRN)

The Medicines Committees works with the MCRN, which was developed in 2005 to improve the coordination, speed and quality of randomised controlled trials and other well-designed studies of medicines for children and young people. It is one of six research networks managed by the UK Clinical Research Network (UKCRN).

For more information go to the MCRN website.