The pilot scheme was established with the agreement of the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the Medicines Control Agency. During 1992 and 1993 any report of a suspected adverse drug reaction signed by a fully registered hospital pharmacist working in the Northern region was sent to the Northern Regional Monitoring Centre and entered on to the database. Hospital pharmacists were given special report forms that included space for the name of the patient's consultant and the reporting pharmacist. In all other respects the form was similar to the yellow card. Pharmacists assessed suspected adverse drug reactions using the current criteria.5 They were specifically asked not to file a report before obtaining the agreement of a member of the medical staff responsible for the patient's care. The patient's consultant was contacted if further information was required.