PATIENTS in the North-East are being put at risk because some hospital doctors are not always following procedures over drug allergies, a report has warned.

A study at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Gateshead, by Sunderland University researchers, found fewer than half of patients with a known drug allergy were issued with red wrist bands, which are supposed to warn hospital staff.

The study - launched at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester - looked at the standard of drug allergy recording and red alert wristband usage at the hospital, and the results were compared to the hospital's drug policy standards.

The results also showed that, in three quarters of cases, patients' drug allergy details were not recorded in their clinical notes or on their drug charts.

Drug allergies are a significant cause of avoidable adverse drug reactions for hospital in-patients.

Pharmacist Andrew Husband, who led the research, said: "The solution is to increase awareness among hospital staff of the importance of this issue. Every member of a hospital multi-professional team is responsible for ensuring that drug allergy status procedures are followed.

"Pharmacists are experts in medicines and they have a significant role to play in supporting other health professionals to achieve the best possible healthcare outcomes for all patients."

A separate study, also carried out by Sunderland University, at City Hospitals Sunderland, showed that the recording of patient's allergies was incomplete or sometimes overlooked or omitted.

In nearly 40 per cent of patients with a known drug allergy, the allergic reaction was not recorded. In almost 80 per cent of cases where appropriate details were recorded, the entries were made by pharmacists, rather than doctors.

A spokesman for the Sunderland trust said: "We will, of course, examine the findings of the recent research."

A spokesman for Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust said: "We are very surprised by the findings of this research. What it suggests contrasts markedly with a recent survey undertaken by the trust's own staff where a compliance rate of well over 90 per cent was demonstrated."