News

2005

25.11.05 - News from committee member Ian Maidment of the birth of his second son. Tomas Graeme, weight 7 pounds 13 oz, was born on 9th November.

21.11.05 - News from committee member Fiona Coupar is that her bump has turned into Cameron Thomas, who was born at 3:39am, Thursday 17th November, after a very long labour, weighing 7 1b 15.5 oz ( 3.62Kg)

Both mum and Cameron are now home from hospital and keeping well.

Graham has 2 pieces of jewellery left over from the conference in October and they no longer suite him. One is a modern silver ‘wavy’ bracelet, hinged on one side with ‘diamonds’ inset on one half. The second is an ‘old fashioned’ broach (sp??) with a central oval clear jewel, surrounded by ‘diamond’ flowers and with 5 dangly ‘diamonds’ hanging underneath – it’s obviously loved by someone. Please contact Graham Newton, Principal Clinical Pharmacist - Mental Health Services, Pharmacy Department, North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust, Halton General Hospital, Hospital Way, Runcorn, Cheshire WA7 2DA, Tel: 01928 - 753 400, Fax: 01928 - 753 191, Pager: 07623 - 617 778, E: graham.newton@nch.nhs.uk

3.8.05 - UKPPG Committee membership. Your webmaster has been informed that we have 5 nominations for the 4 vacant places on the committee. The nominations are for Wendy Davies, Trudi Hilton, Ian Maidment, Graham Parton and Dawn Price. There will thus need to be an election and the returning officer Denny Humphries will be swinging into action relatively soon.

3.8.05 - The UKPPG has responded to the RPSGB "Discharge planning - moving patients, moving medicines, moving safely" consultation document, with some well-chosen words from Chairman Graham Newton

CMHP April meeting notes from Cathy Mortimer:

Celia had responded to consultation on NICE technology appraisal of the antidementia drugs on behalf of the College. It was agreed that for consultations a separate response would be sent by both UKPPG and CMHP
College members will be emailed to ask for mentors who are not Council members to avoid any potential conflict of interest
Mermbers will be asked to update contact details when requirements have been confirmed
UKPPG / CMHP financial guidelines were circulated to Council members
Prescribing Observatory. The requirement for CMHP membership in the job description was noted as an example of the advantage of becoming a member
Detailed consideration was given to the draft constitution. 2nd draft to be produced for the next meeting
CMHP handbook will be rewritten
Independent prescribing by pharmacists - Celia will respond
Future meetings: 15 July, 2 September

Your committee met at the Aston Business Centre on the Aston University Campus on Friday 24th June 2005.. In attendance: Fiona Couper, Ian Maidment (Acting Secretary), Mick Marven, Graham Newton (Chairman), Denise Taylor and Dawn Price. Celia Feetam was present from 2pm as President of the College to report on College and Education matters. Apologies for the meeting were received from Graham Parton, Morag Martin, Robert Goff, Gill Hawksworth, Stephen Bazire & Denny Humphries. The following items were discussed:

A report from the treasurer was received; 2 bursary applications were received, discussed and approved for funding
A letter was received from the UK Mental Health Pharmacy Technician Network requesting closer working relations. It was agreed that this would be progressed with full consultation with the membership of UKPPG
Bob Goff is arranging the posting of nomination forms for committee 2005-2008. There are 3 committee members completing their 3 year terms and a co-opted place is available too. Postscript: the nomination form is incorrect in 2 matters: there are 4 places available, not 3 as stated on the form. Where an election is required it will take place before the AGM and not after it as stated on the form.
Bob Goff wrote to the committee informing them that he is ceasing work for the prison service from the end of June. Therefore he has offered to resign his co-opted committee place early and with that his position of secretary to the group. After a discussion his offer was accepted with immediate effect, he was thanked for his sterling work as secretary and as a link with the prison service. He was asked to complete his work coordinating the exhibition for the 2005 conference at Wokefield Park.
It was recognised that the group and the committee continues to require some formal secretarial and administrative support. Options were discussed recognising the problems associated with previous arrangements that were put in place with a commercial agency. Various members will progress this with discussions with their employers’.
Conference programme for 2005 was discussed and final arrangements were made and clarified.
The committee is starting a review of the constitution. Mick Marven is coordinating this
Chris Goff has met a couple of times with Stephen Bazire to discuss the practicalities of updating the group’s website. Chris will also look at the various options available to us for managing the group’s membership list.
Celia reported that the College Council has met a couple of times. Various issues including the constitution, portfolio and application process, communications with College Members, and standards of practice were discussed. It as reported that 3 recent membership applications were successful – congratulations to those involved. The principle of funding from the Group for the College was confirmed but the committee requested a budget and clarification from past committee minutes before providing substantial new funding.
Celia provided an update on the progress of the Aston certificate and diploma and the recent exams that were held.
It was noted with disappointment that the Psychiatry 2 course planned for July had to be cancelled due to a lack of support.
Celia provided feedback from a meeting with the Department of Health about the development of consultant pharmacist posts. The work of the College and the model it has adopted was cited and commended as an example of good practice amongst the attendees.
The recent developments in e-learning were noted and it was questioned whether the group could develop standard e-learning packages for medicines management issued in mental health. Mick Marven to investgate

By happy coincidence the same venue was being used for the Psych 1 training course for pharmacists new to psychiatry. Graham Newton was able to welcome the delegates to that course in a gap in the meeting. This is an important milestone as this is the first Psychiatry 1 course that has been run with UKPPG subsidy following the withdrawal of industry sponsorship. The Group is subsidising each weekend course to the tune of about £6000.

11.4.05 - Congratulations to recent committee member Juliet Shepherd on the birth of her and Nick's second son Owen Marc (brother to Ellis), born on 17th March at 11pm at night, delivered by proud father Nick after a surprisingly short 3 hour labour. The ambulance found the house half an hour later!

30.3.05 - Congratulations to Chairman Graham Newton and wife Ruth on the birth of Meghan Grace, at 12.25pm on Easter Saturday weighing 8Ib 7¾oz. How can he do the Chairman bit and be a Dad with two young children? Superman!

8.4.05 - Your UKPPG committee (Graham P, Graham N, Bob Goff, Celia Feetam, Dawn Price, Morag Martin, Fiona Coupar, Denise Taylor, Mick Marven, Ian Maidment, Justine Raynsford and Steve Bazire) met in a wet and windy London (Britannia Hotel) on Friday 8th April to view the venue as a potential conference venue and to discuss the following:

Finance: Morag reported that these are in a satisfactory state. The financial standing orders and guidelines were reviewed and remain unchanged. Three bursary applications were discussed and approved, from Sarwjit Vatti (Ealing), Christine Calvert (Middlesbrough) and Maria McIntyre (Northampton).
RPSGB: Council voting must be in soon, see the website for the 4 thoughtful replies. Sadly the society hierarchy is in a divided state, and it seems the “SOS” candidates will set mental health pharmacy back a few decades if elected.
CMHP: Celia outlined CMHP activity:
- Board meetings Wednesday 13th April and June with UKPPG
- The Board are looking at the Clinical Standards document, which will need to cover SLA requirements and will be reviewed
- Standard audit templates
- Core competencies for mental health pharmacists
- Mental health observatory, post available for mental health pharmacist (preferably with CMHP membership) to be seconded from their service (apply now asap)
RPSGB Mental Health Practice Guidance for shared care being reviewed, for wider applicability. Dawn Price is to co-ordinate review, please contact her if you can help or have comments
Conference 2005: This was discussed in detail and is coming along well. Please see diary and conference pages for an update on progress
Education: Celia outlined the following:
- Current Certificate students took their exams in March, and the exam board met at the beginning of April, passing (all) 30 and awarding Distinctions to 28. There were 5 examination centres, including Singapore and Norway.
- There are now 60 students now registered in the next certificate intake, including a nurse and the first Doctor to take the course.
- Diploma: there are 9 sitting the exam in June.
- There is a vacant post soon to replace Andrew as support tutor for Celia at Aston, and certificate marking/assessment help will be needed.
- Psychiatry 1: two weekends are planned, for late June/early July, and early November. To be held at the Aston University Business School, the price will be £295, a rise over previous costs as the industry sponsorship has now lapsed and so the UKPPG has putting significant funds into supporting this
- Psychiatry 2: Dave Branford is to run one course in the next year
- Technicians: dates yet to be announced
Nurse prescribing – there was a long discussion, with the need to facilitate this in a format that allows competent practitioners to prescribe, no matter from what profession they originate
Mental Health Prescribing Observatory - David Taylor and Carol Paton are involved

Voting in the RPSGB elections 2005? We think you ought to, and to help you, try reading what the candidates say in answer to our questions.

22.3.05 - NICE Alzheimer's Disease drugs consultation March 2005

The United Kingdom Psychiatric Pharmacy Group and the College of Mental Health Pharmacists have made a combined response, which can be seen by clicking here.