YCC Wales Annual Report 2020-21
The year 2020/21 has been a year like no other in the history of Yellow Card Centre (YCC) Wales. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health care system throughout Wales and the UK affected the ways in which YCC Wales was able to carry out their promotional and educational activities.
Despite the challenges faced, the team from the YCC Wales continued to promote the reporting of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) via the Yellow Card scheme to healthcare professionals and members of the public across Wales. The YCC Wales executive team, responsible for the day to day operations of the centre, continued to be supported by the Advisory Board.
The number of Yellow Card reports for non-COVID-19 vaccine medicinal products, submitted from Wales decreased from 2927 in 2019/20 to 1955 in 2020/21, a decrease of 33%. The highest percentage increase was seen within Velindre NHS Trust, where the number of Yellow Card reports that were submitted increased by 562% when compared with 2020/21. The largest percentage decrease was seen within Cardiff and Vale UHB, where the number of reports fell by 50%.
During December 2020, the UK COVID-19 vaccination programme was launched. YCC Wales met with key stakeholders from Public Health Wales’ Vaccine Preventable Disease Programme Team, to discuss ways in which to raise awareness of ADR reporting to COVID-19 vaccines and ensure appropriate reporting processes were in place within Mass Vaccination Centres. In addition to the 1955 Yellow Card reports mentioned above, 7440 reports of suspected ADRs to the COVID-19 vaccines were submitted from Wales.
General Practitioners (GPs) remained the highest reporting group during 2020/21, contributing 37% (725) of the total number of reports for the year. However, when compared with the previous year, there was a reduction of 49% in the number of Yellow Card reports submitted by GPs. An increase was seen in reporting numbers from pre-registration pharmacists, hospital nurses, radiographers, physicians and optometrists.
YCC Wales continued to support local Yellow Card Champions throughout the year and continued to engage with the Welsh Medication Safety Officers (MSOs) and other members of the Welsh Medicines Safety Network.
Throughout the year, YCC Wales continued to use and develop bilingual promotional materials for use in primary and secondary care. YCC Wales’ mascot ‘Yellow Card Charlie’ continued to feature in these. All four targets for the Yellow Card National Prescribing (reporting) Indicators remained in place.
It is disappointing to report a reduction in the number of Yellow Card reports for non-COVID-19 vaccine medicinal products submitted from Wales for the year 2020/21. However, it is possible that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare system throughout the year may have contributed to this.
During 2021/22 YCC Wales will continue to introduce new initiatives to promote and encourage reporting of suspected ADRs via the Yellow Card scheme throughout Wales.
See YCC Wales' Annual Report 2020-21 for details of activities undertaken and reporting breakdown.