Improving quality of drug use through hospital directorates.

Improving quality of drug use through hospital directorates Drugs are important to patients and to the NHS for three reasons. Firstly, drugs can increase the quality and duration of life; often they are the only way of doing so. Secondly, their use is associated with a risk that they may have the opposite effect. Finally, because society values them, they have a high volume of use; and can have a high cost, so they are an important expenditure for the NHS. Indeed, after staff costs, drug costs account for the highest expenditure in the NHS, and the government considers that controlling their use is a priority. The quality of drug use (prescribing, supply, administration, and adherence to treatment) must therefore be a priority.