Andrew Heenan RMN RGN BA(Hons) Editor, World Wide Wounds a.heenan@smtl.co.uk Publishing details |
Introduction Perforated film absorbent dressings Knitted viscose primary dressings Povidone iodine fabric dressings Alginate dressings Hydrocolloid dressings Dextranomer paste pad dressings Hydrogel dressings Polyurethane foam and foam film dressings High compression bandages Zinc paste bandages References |
The Drug Tariff is not an arbitrary list; it contains only those products that are tried and tested; so it tends to exclude the latest products. The exact criteria for selection are not published, but it may not be a coincidence that products with a lower unit cost have, in the past, had a greater chance of quick inclusion than more expensive products. This, it might be suggested, shows a lack of understanding of the principles of wound management: a higher unit cost might apply to a product which needs applying less frequently and/or requires less time and skill to apply. Such a product might be more cost effective over a period of time.
The Drug Tariff has also shown obscure prejudice against certain areas; cavity wound dressings, and dressings for malodorous wounds have fared badly.
Recently, however, the Drug Tariff seems to have become more closely related to the market place and to patients' needs. New products, particularly those with a CE mark, and new sizes/formulations of existing products, appear to reach the Tariff more easily.
The Drug Tariff matters, because without an FP10 prescription (England and Wales; GP10 in Scotland) a dressing is officially unobtainable for NHS patients outside of hospital. (Hospitals are not bound by the Drug Tariff; they are free to draw up their own lists of acceptable purchases - but that is another story!). In practice, non-Tariff dressings are obtained by the time honoured techniques of begging, stealing and borrowing. Hospital staff need to be aware of the Drug Tariff and its limitations, in order to plan for continuity of wound management as patients go home.
This article reflects on information already available in the
Drug Tariff [1], arranged
in tables for convenience. It specifically excludes obsolete
dressing, gauze swabs which are sued for cleansing purposes and
items like paraffin gauze which are still available on community
prescription, but are rarely the dressing of choice[2], particularly
those impregnated with antibiotics which are an anachronism to be
avoided. Colonization and contamination are not an indication for
topical antibiotics, rather an imperative to effective wound
healing as quickly as possible, and any sign of significant wound
infection is an indication for appropriate systemic
antibiotics.
Perforated film absorbent dressings | Size | Price (each) |
---|---|---|
Melolin(Smith & Nephew) | 5cm x 5cm | 13p |
10cm x 10cm |
21p
|
|
20cm x 10cm |
40p
|
|
Release (Johnson & Johnson) | 5cm x 5cm |
12p
|
10cm x 10cm |
19p
|
|
20cm x 10cm |
37p
|
|
Skintact (Robinson) | 5cm x 5cm |
10p
|
10cm x 10cm |
17p
|
|
20cm x 10cm |
33p
|
Knitted viscose primary dressings | Size | Price (each) |
---|---|---|
N-A Dressing (Johnson & Johnson) | 9.5cm x 9.5cm |
29p
|
N-A Ultra* (Johnson & Johnson) | 9.5cm x 9.5cm |
28p
|
Tricotex (Smith & Nephew) | 9.5cm x 9.5cm |
25p
|
Povidone iodine fabric dressing | Size | Price (each) |
---|---|---|
Inadine (Johnson & Johnson) | 5cm x 5cm |
£0.26
|
9.5cm x 9.5cm |
£0.39
|
Vapour-permeable adhesive film dressings | Size | Price (each) |
---|---|---|
Opsite Flexigrid (Smith & Nephew) | 10cm x 12cm |
£1.20
|
Tegaderm (3M Health Care) | 10cm x 12cm |
£1.21
|
Bioclusive (Johnson & Johnson) | 10.2cm x 12.7cm |
£1.28
|
Cutifilm (Beiersdorf) | 7.5 x 10cm |
£0.64
|
10cm x 14cm |
£1.09
|
|
EpiView (Convatec) | 6cm x 7cm |
£0.40
|
10cm x 12cm |
£1.05
|
Alginate dressings | Note | Size | Price (each) |
---|---|---|---|
Algosteril (BDF) | 5cm x 5cm |
£0.72
|
|
10cm x 10cm |
£1.65
|
||
Comfeel Seasorb (Coloplast) |
|
6cm x 4cm |
£0.71
|
10cm x 10cm |
£1.47
|
||
Kaltogel (Convatec) |
|
5cm x 5cm |
£0.70
|
10cm x 10cm |
£1.47
|
||
Kaltostat (Convatec) |
|
5cm x 5cm |
£0.72
|
7.5cm x 12cm |
£1.57
|
||
Sorbsan (Maersk) |
|
5cm x 5cm |
£0.89
|
10cm x 10cm |
£1.57
|
||
Tegagen (3M Health Care) |
|
5cm x 5cm |
£0.72
|
10cm x 10cm |
£1.51
|
Alginate dressing with absorbent backing | Size | Price (each) |
---|---|---|
Sorbsan Plus (Maersk) | 7.5cm x 10cm |
£1.43
|
10cm x 15cm |
£2.53
|
Hydrocolloid dressings (semipermeable) | Note | Size | Price (each) |
---|---|---|---|
Combiderm (Convatec) |
|
10cm x 10cm |
£1.25
|
|
14cm x 14cm |
£1.74
|
|
|
15cm x 18cm |
£3.00
|
|
Comfeel (bevelled edge) (Coloplast) | 10cm x 10cm |
£2.11
|
|
15cm x 15cm |
£4.19
|
||
20cm x 20cm |
£6.40
|
||
Comfeel Plus Contour Dressing (Coloplast) |
|
6cm x 8cm |
£1.67
|
|
9cm x 11cm |
£2.89
|
|
Comfeel Plus Ulcer Dressing (Coloplast) | 10cm x 10cm |
£2.15
|
|
15cm x 15cm |
£4.27
|
||
20cm x 20cm |
£6.41
|
||
DuoDerm Extra Thin (Convatec) | 7.5cm x 7.5cm |
£0.60
|
|
10cm x 10cm |
£1.00
|
||
15cm x 15cm |
£2.17
|
||
Granuflex (Improved Formulation) (Convatec) | 10cm x 10cm |
£2.12
|
|
15cm x 15cm |
£3.99
|
||
15cm x 20cm |
£4.35
|
||
20cm x 20cm |
£5.99
|
||
Granuflex (Bordered) (Convatec) |
|
10cm x 10cm |
£2.50
|
|
10cm x 13cm |
£2.95
|
|
|
15cm x 18cm |
£4.60
|
|
Tegasorb Advanced
Formulation (3M Health Care) |
10cm x 10cm |
£2.05
|
|
15cm x 15cm |
£3.97
|
||
Tegasorb Advanced
Formulation (3M Health Care) |
|
10cm x 12cm |
£2.01
|
|
13cm x 15cm |
£3.79
|
Dextranomer paste pad dressing | Size | Price (each) |
---|---|---|
Debrisan Absorbent Pad (Pharmacia) | 3g |
£2.30
|
Hydrogel dressings | Size | Price (each) |
---|---|---|
Granugel Hydrocolloid Gel (Convatec) | 15g |
£1.75
|
Intrasite Gel (Smith & Nephew) | 8g |
£1.38
|
15g |
£1.85
|
|
Purilon Gel (Coloplast) | 15g |
£1.75
|
Nu-Gel (Johnson and Johnson) | 15g |
£1.75
|
Sterigel (Seton) | 15g |
£1.75
|
Polyurethane foam dressing | Note | Size | Price (each) |
---|---|---|---|
Lyofoam (Seton) | 1 | 7.5cm x 7.5cm |
£0.85
|
10cm x 10cm |
£1.01
|
||
17.5cm x 10cm |
£1.57
|
||
20cm x 15cm |
£2.12
|
Polyurethane foam film dressing | Note | Size | Price (each) |
---|---|---|---|
Allevyn
(Non-adhesive) (Smith & Nephew) |
5cm x 5cm |
£0.97
|
|
10cm x 10cm |
£1.92
|
||
10cm x 20cm |
£3.09
|
||
20cm x 20cm |
£5.16
|
||
Allevyn Adhesive
(Smith & Nephew) |
|
7.5cm x 7.5cm |
£1.15
|
|
12.5cm x 12.5cm |
£2.06
|
|
|
17.5cm x 17.5cm |
£4.06
|
|
|
22.5cm x 22.5cm |
£5.91
|
|
Flexipore (Polymedica) |
6cm x 7cm |
£0.93
|
|
10cm x 10cm |
£1.73
|
||
10cm x 30cm |
£3.60
|
||
15cm x 20cm |
£3.70
|
||
20cm x 20cm |
£5.06
|
||
Lyofoam Extra
(Non-adhesive) (Seton) |
10cm x 10cm |
£1.72
|
|
10cm x 17.5cm |
£2.91
|
||
10cm x 25cm |
£3.52
|
||
15cm x 20cm |
£3.77
|
||
Spyrosorb (Adhesive) (Perstorp) | 10cm x 10cm |
£1.98
|
|
20cm x 20cm |
£5.65
|
||
Tielle (Adhesive
Margin) (Johnson & Johnson) |
|
7cm x 9cm |
£1.05
|
|
15cm x 20cm |
£3.99
|
|
|
11cm x 11cm |
£1.95
|
|
|
15cm x 15cm |
£3.25
|
|
|
18cm x 18cm |
£4.06
|
|
Tielle Sacrum (Johnson & Johnson) |
|
18cm x 18cm |
£3.99
|
High compression bandages (extensible) | Size | Price (each) |
---|---|---|
Setopress (Seton) | 7.5cm x 3.5m |
£2.41
|
10cm x 3.5m |
£3.12
|
|
Tensopress (Smith & Nephew) | 7.5cm x 3m |
£2.34
|
10cm x 3m |
£3.02
|
|
Surepress (Convatec) | 10cm x 3m |
£2.96
|
Zinc paste bandages | Note | Size | Price (each) |
---|---|---|---|
Steripaste (15%) (Seton) | 7.5cm x 6m |
£3.01
|
|
Viscopaste
PB7 (10%) (Smith & Nephew) |
7.5cm x 6m |
£3.03
|
|
Zincaband (15%) (Seton) | 7.5cm x 6m |
£2.96
|
|
Icthopaste (6.5%) (Smith & Nephew) |
|
7.5cm x 6m |
£3.06
|
Icthaband (15.5%) (Seton) |
|
7.5cm x 6m |
£2.96
|
Quinaband (Seton) |
|
7.5cm x 6m |
£3.05
|
Calaband (Seton) |
|
7.5cm x 6m |
£3.05
|
This article is not intended to provide advice on the suitability of a particular dressing for a particular wound; it is intended to be no more than a guide to dressings availability in Great Britain. The warnings and uses given are indicative only, and are largely taken from the Drug Tariff (1) and the British National Formulary (2), but any opinions expressed are those of the author. The Drug Tariff is updated on a monthly basis.
1.
Department of Health. Drug Tariff. London: HMSO, June 1997
2. Anna Prasad
(Editor) British National Formulary. London BMA/RPSGB, March
1997