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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 10 Hansard (25 September) . . Page.. 3427 ..

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The Drugs of Dependence Amendment Bill seeks to amend the Drugs of Dependence Act in relation to the operation of the Act in Class 1 and Class 2 health institutions. These are institutions such as hospitals and the hospice.

Over the years since the introduction of the Drugs of Dependence Act in 1989, staff in hospitals, have found a number of shortcomings which hinder the efficient operation of wards.

A multidisciplinary committee, comprising members of the ACT Nurses Board, the Australian Federal Police, the Government Solicitor's Office, the ACT Chief Pharmacist and Health and Community Care representatives considered a number of changes to the Act that would help workers in health institutions, without diluting the necessary controls over drugs of dependence and prohibited substances.

At present, the Act does not allow nurses in charge of wards to delegate their responsibilities to requisition or supply drugs of dependence.

As nurses often work in difficult and high pressure situations, it is not possible to ensure that the nurse in charge of a ward is always available to perform her or his duties under the Act.

The Bill proposes that this situation be amended to enable the nurse in charge to delegate powers of requisition and supply of drugs of dependence.

In addition, the Act provides no legal protection for doctors, nurses or pharmacists who are required to take possession of drugs of dependence or prohibited substances in the course of their duties. The amendments seek to remedy this situation.

At present, all drugs of dependence, including the residue of a dose, need to be returned to the hospital dispensary for disposal. This places an unnecessary burden on the hospital pharmacy.

The Government accepts that full doses of drugs of dependence should be returned to the hospital dispensary for disposal. However, the residue of a dose should be able to be disposed of at the place of administration, subject to controls such as the presence of a witness.

The amendments will also require withdrawals from ward safes to be recorded in the drug register as they are withdrawn, rather than within 24 hours as is presently the case. This will eliminate the possibility of a difference between the register and the quantity of drugs in the ward safe.

Some minor changes to the forms that are required to be filled in when administering drugs of dependence are also required to effect the proposed amendments.

The amendments are aimed at increasing the flexibility of the operation of the Act without compromising the necessary controls on drugs of dependence and prohibited substances.

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