News

Here is the latest news on the UKPPG/psychiatric pharmacy front (with the date of entry). Do you have anything to add? Please e-mail sbazire@ukppg.org.uk

2008

 

 

Your committee met on 13th June 2008 in Cumbria

Your committee met in Cumbria on Friday 13th June 2008, with support from Servier Laboratories. Present included Mick, Graham P, Bev, Ian, Marina, Dawn, Justine and Steve B.
Discussed items included:

  • Waterloo group (see statement) and UKPPG/CMHP long-term strategy.
    • UKPPG/CMHP seem to be ahead of the game in our processes and set-up but we may/will need to realign our structure and strategy in view of the changes in the profession coming from Clarke Enquiry, Transcom and RPSGB reviews. The UKPPG/CMHP have strongly campaigned for a seat on Transcom to ensure the significant mental health issues are addressed.
    • The recent letter in the Pharmaceutical Journal (6th June) illustrated the nature of the tasks ahead, but collaboration with Catherine Duggan may prove effective
  • Conference 2009 – negotiations are on-going with Hinckley Island which, although not quite as plush as Wokefield, is a possibility (10-12th Oct, approx, check)
    • 2008 programme is in the final confirmatory stages (click here)
  • Ian gave a presentation on the research set-up in UK at the moment
    • A summary of Ian’s presentation has been added to the site, and we plan to update this as things change (summarised here), and as ever any additions or corrections are more than welcome
  • Xara
    • Xara database and operation isn’t as good or as easy as we thought and technical support form Xara is virtually non-existent. It’s fine as a membership database but we still can’t get a membership-protected area. Other systems are being investigated.
  • Finance:
    • 671 members at the moment, rising slowly 
    • Finance is stable
    • Student membership to be introduced/considered
    • Conference organising sub-committee is developing
  • Education:
    • Psychiatry 1 programmed for late October 2008, details to be announced
    • Psychiatry 2 planned, but no date agreed yet
    • Aston University Certificate and Diploma course future was coinsidered, with contingencies needed as and when the current course leader (eventually) retires from the post. A long-term plan is needed and if Aston continue to be as ambivalent as have been, alternatives already identified will be pursued.
  • PR
    • Dawn introduced a new Corporate membership scheme draft proposal, which will be sent to members before the AGM in October 2008 for consideration and voting.
  • PALS
    • The 3 missing files have been prepared and circulated, and an extended list discussed. 
    • Some additional ones are in preparation and an updated CD will be produced soon. A new version containing some more peripheral and specialist drugs will be prepared.

15.6.08

Bath University launch Mental Health CPD

I am planning to run our usual MH Intro unit starting this September for 10 weeks. It is delivered by distance learning with support from a virtual learning environment and on-line tutor support. There is also a two day workshop where we try and deliver educational items that are difficult to deliver on-line.

Usually it is part of a Certificate or Masters in Clinical Pharmacy programme but is also offered as a stand alone CPD unit. When completed as a CPD unit it attracts ECT points which can be used towards other Higher Educational awards (certificates or Diplomas).

It will be suitable for those new to MH working in primary or secondary care (we have had at least half a dozen people through from primary care service
teams) or those who want to brush up or extend knowledge in other areas.

It is also what the Pharmacy technician MH training will be based on (but with different tasks and outcomes as discussed with Bev recently).

Anyway what I am really asking is whether I can advertise this via the UKPPG website? I attach the flyer If you want to know more please let me know Best wishes Denise

 

Denise Taylor MSc MRPharmS FHEA
Senior Teaching Fellow
Programme Lead for Pharmacist Prescribing Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology Room 5W 3.27 University of Bath BATH BA2 7AY.
Direct line: 01225-383677

No smoking at Rampton

Bernard Huckstep reports that Rampton High Secure Hospital introduced a no-smoking policy (for patients and staff) on 1st April 2007. Some of you will be aware that a number of patients took their case to be allowed to continue smoking to the High Court around that time. The High Court have just ruled that psychiatric patients should not be allowed to smoke at a high security mental hospital (BBC report link is here).
This will likely have implications for other hospitals after the introduction of smoking restrictions in public places which will apply in England from the 1st July this year.
From a pharmacy point of view, our biggest challenge apart from the control and supply of NRT was the effect of smoking cessation on our clozapine patients. As expected, clozapine serum levels rose requiring substantial dose reduction – however the size of the increase in serum levels and the extent of the duration of the effect were greater than the available literature suggested at the time. These effects were so pronounced in some patients that we have decided to publish a paper describing our experiences which should help others manage similar situations. I will post a link to this as soon as it's in print.
As Rampton is a secure hospital and tobacco and ignition sources are controlled, 100% compliance with the smoking ban was ensured from 1st April 2007. There were fears that many of our patients might become acutely disturbed but, in the main, these fears proved groundless.
Good luck to others who might be embarking on similar smoking
cessation programmes.
Bernard Huckstep, Head of Pharmacy Services, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust (20th May 2008)

New MHA Code of Practice - May 2008, shocking news

Thanks almost entirely to Dr Dave Branford's persistence, the MHA Code of practice for England now contains the following:

Statutory consultees

24.49 SOADs are required to consult two people (“statutory consultees”) before issuing certificates approving treatment. One of the statutory consultees must be a nurse; the other must not be either a nurse or a doctor. Both must have been professionally concerned with the patient’s medical treatment, and neither may be the clinician in charge of the proposed treatment or the responsible clinician (if the patient has one).
24.50 The Act does not specify who the statutory consultees should be, but they should be people whose knowledge of the patient and the patient’s treatment can help the SOAD decide whether the proposed treatment is appropriate. People who may be particularly well placed  to act as statutory consultees include the patient’s care co-ordinator (if they have one) and, where medication is concerned, a mental health pharmacist who has been involved in any recent review of the patient’s medication.
24.51 The statutory consultees whom the SOAD proposes to consult should consider whether they are sufficiently concerned professionally with the patient’s care to fulfil the function. If not, or if a consultee feels that someone else is better placed to fulfil the function, they should make this known to the clinician in charge of the treatment and to the SOAD in good time.
24.52 Statutory consultees may expect to have a private discussion with the SOAD and to be listened to with consideration. Among the issues that the consultees should consider commenting on are:
• the proposed treatment and the patient’s ability to consent to it;
• their understanding of the past and present views and wishes of the patient;
• other treatment options and the way in which the decision on the treatment proposal was arrived at;
• the patient’s progress and the views of the patient’s carers; and
• where relevant, the implications of imposing treatment on a patient who does not want it and the reasons why the patient is refusing treatment.
24.53 If the SOAD wishes to speak to the statutory consultees face to face, the hospital managers should ensure that the SOAD is able to do so.
24.54 Consultees should ensure that they make a record of their consultation with the SOAD, which is then placed in the patient’s notes.
24.55 SOADs should also be prepared, where appropriate, to consult a wider range of people who are concerned with the patient’s care than those required by the Act. That might include the patient’s GP and, unless the patient objects, the patient’s nearest relative, parents (where relevant), other family and carers, and any independent mental health advocate2 (or other advocate) representing the patient.

Dave is now retiring to bed to get over the shock of actually being listened to! It only took him 20 years!
(6.5.08)

Your committee met on 25th April 2008 in Belfast

Attendees included Jane Riley, Stephen Bleakley, Dave Branford, Trudi Hilton, Cathy Mortimer, Elaine Weston, Stephen Guy, Helen Shaw, Ian Maidment, Marina Davidson, Bev Faulkner, Mick Marven, Dawn Price, Steve Bazire, Graham Parton and Lynn Haygarth.

Discussion covered New Ways of Working (and co-ordination of UKPPG and CMHP)

Education and training - Psych 1 will be at Woodland Grange in autumn 2008; 70 took the Certificate exam, 40 in new cohort; Diploma has 30 and now costs £5200 (certificate and Diploma)

 

 

 

New Ways of Working (NWW) - Medicines Management Self Assessment Toolkit & Guidance; message from Dave Branford to all pharmacists but especially pharmacy managers

Over the last few years many of you have been involved with the New Ways of Working in Mental Health projects. These have included the following
- The Spread Programme of local projects
- The mental health surveys
- Various other initiatives
Most of the products of these initiatives are on the NWW website www.newwaysofworking.org.uk (go to the main site via this link, then click 'Pharmacy', then 'Medicines Management') . They include:

  • Individual Spread programme reports
  • The Spread Programme report –Learning lessons from the Spread Programme
  • The Surveys of MHT secondary care pharmacy services in England
  • The reports of the MHT secondary care pharmacy services in England
  • New Ways of Working for Mental Health Pharmacy
  • The MM service user/carer leaflet

In the last year (2007) the DH/NWW team sponsored 4 more projects

  • Developing a model SLA
  • Enhancing the role of the pharmacy technician in mental health pharmacy
  • Medicines Management learning sets
  • The medicines management self-assessment toolkit
In addition the NIMHE National acute care Board sponsored an evaluation of MM schemes for acute mental health wards. Over the coming months these will appear on the website and hopefully with links to the UKPPG website.
These products will be on show at the Medicines Management in Mental Health conference at Leeds on June 25th. Chief Pharmacists should be encouraging the Board member with responsibility for MM to attend (as well as attending themselves with their chief technician).
The particular product that has just been loaded on the NWW website is the medicines management self assessment toolkit. This easy to use excel spreadsheet programme enable MHTs to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses in relation to MM. We have used it locally to assist in the writing of our new MM strategy.
I would welcome.
Any Trusts that completes it sends me a copy of your completed MHT assessment – these will be kept in confidence but enable a battery of completed assessments so that some benchmarking can take place. Some feedback from those that have used it on how you used, how useful you found it and suggestions for modifications

Many thanks
Dave Branford  
Dr D Branford PhD MRPharmS
Chief Pharmacist
Kingsway Hospital
Derbyshire Mental Health Services NHS Trust
Derby DE22 3LZ 
Tel:  01332 623567
Mob:  07786 391472
Email:  david.branford@derbysmhservices.nhs.uk

(1.5.08)

The Clarke Enquiry

The Report of the Independent Inquiry into a Professional Body for Pharmacy was published on 2nd April 2008, and can be found on the website www.theclarkeinquiry.com.

(7.4.08)

UKPPG Vice Chairperson Dawn Price spoke at the European Association of health Care Pharmacists in Maastrict in february, at the first mental health symposium at an EAHP conference for ten years. She spoke about near-patient testing of clozapine, along with other well-known pharmacists Elisabeth Eide (Norway, diabetes and depression), Hans Mulder (Netherlands, genomics) and someone from Spain (psychoeducation). For a preview see Broekema and Hermens, EJHP Journal 2007;14:21.

13.3.08

Your committee met on 8th February 2008 at Gatwick, with thanks to Lundbeck for supporting the meeting. 
Present: Ian, Dawn, Graham P, Graham N, Stephen G, Steve B, Elaine, Marina, Mick eventually
Apologies from Bev, Pat, Trudi and Justine
Items discussed included:

CMHP: over the last two meetings, the following were discussed: 

  • Dr. Dave Branford now has the academic background role on the Board
  • Stephen Bleakley now registrar with re-accreditation to Lynn Haygarth as assistant registrar
  • There have been lots of requests for portfolios so CMHP hoping for lots of applicants for vivas later in year
  • A new version of the portfolio is being worked on which would allow different ways of proving the current competencies other than through the existing system. This would allow specialist mental health pharmacists in e.g. managerial levels to be included. The CMHP is planning to have a draft document by April and released in June, for the October vivas
  • Clarke enquiry response has been put on their website. Most responses from other groups were critical of RPSGB but it is thought unlikely the RPSGB will adjust their views
  • Competencies for special interest pharmacists, including possibility of community pharmacies running e.g. lithium clinics are being worked on 
  • A viva has been videoed and is on Youtube (link to come)
  • Conference – see conference page. The committee was exercised that there had been a late change in date but there was a problem with a venue that issued a contract proposal for a weekend that wasn’t available as it was already booked. The Conference date has been agreed as 10-12th October and the contract we area ssurred is "in the post" fully signed. The UKPPG is still £33K owing from pharmaceutical industry from 2007 conference. The 2009 conference dates should be 9-11th October.

  • PALS – due to an as yet unidentified error, several PALS had been inadvertently omitted from the current PALS, which is being rectified imminently. Translations are being pursued but the cost for a professional translation service is prohibitive at the moment.
  • Education:
    A Chief and significant others think tank is proposed
    Psych 1 date awaited
    Psych 2 TBA
    To be discussed at joint CMHP meeting in April
  • Bulletin re-launch is still being costed

(10.2.08)

Working in Mental Health: Wendy Davies (Cardiff) had an article published in the Pharmaceutical Journal on 26/1/08 called "Working in mental health" about her career.
(6.2.08)

A New Year Message from Stephen Guy, President of the College of Mental Health Pharmacists:

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all CMHP and UKPPG
members a very happy and prosperous New Year.

At the beginning of the year many of us plan out what we want to
achieve in the next 12 months both in our private and professional
lives. With regard to your professional development I would
encourage you to apply for College Membership as soon as possible.
The changes in regulation of pharmacists and the creation of a new
professional body, possibly a Royal College, presents the College of
Mental Health Pharmacists with an opportunity to become directly
involved in the future development of the profession as a whole and
to become the voice for mental health pharmacy in particular. To
ensure we are representative of mental health pharmacists we need as
large a membership base as possible and that is where you come in!

If you already are a CMHP member please encourage your work
colleagues to apply and give them you support and encouragement.

Membership of the College is open to all pharmacists members of the
UKPPG who hold a Diploma in Psychiatric Therapeutics OR have at
least 5 years experience working as a Mental Health Pharmacist. In
addition you have to submit a portfolio of work for assessment and
attend for a viva. Please don't let either of the last two steps put
you off applying. The portfolio is not difficult to complete – the
majority of it can be completed by recording your daily activities.
There are a few additional sections but each of these does not exceed
an A4 page. The Viva can be daunting but again it is straightforward
and is in two parts

the first part is the Case Vignettes - these are everyday scenarios
that you might come across. There are some questions to answer and
you are given 15 minutes to prepare your answer to 3 case Vignettes.
The panel are not trying to catch you out – there are no trick
questions
The second part of the Viva is based on your portfolio. You might be
asked to expand on a section or explain what has happened to a
particular piece of work since you submitted your portfolio

You can view a sample portfolio on the UKPPG website. In order to
keep track of people who are interested in becoming members we ask
that you apply to the Registrar for a portfolio pack. I hope to have
a short video presentation of the Viva available on the UKPPG website
shortly.

There are two Viva sessions planned for the 17tth or 18th of July and
for the day before the UKPPG annual conference in early October. The
deadlines for portfolio submission are the 7th April 2008 and 30th
June 2008 respectively.

Make becoming a member of the College you New Year Resolution for 2008

Regards

Stephen Guy
President College of Mental Health Pharmacists
stephen.guy@belfasttrust.hscni.net

2007

Successful team for the project to evaluate acute mental health medicines management schemes announced:

Dr Dave Branford announced that South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust had won the project, with key Investigators Cathy Riley (Chief Pharmacist) and Dr Eleanor Bradley (Head of R&D), using a key Collaborators / Expert panel including Samantha Mortimer (Senior Nurse Medicines Management); Paul Bowers (Ward Manager); Guy Taylor (Ward Manager); Dr Nitin Gupta (Consultant Psychiatrist: General Psychiatry); Professor Tony Elliot (Clinical Director: Older Age Psychiatry) and Val Phillips (Senior Pharmacist). The project is working to a very short time scale so I hope any of you who have information about schemes that you have implemented  that may assist Cathy Riley with this important project will be proactive in making contact with her.

(20.11.07)

Your committee met in Milton Keynes on Friday 18th November...

(21.11.07)

Your committee met on Friday 21st September 2007 ...

in sunny Manchester, with thanks to Janssen-Cilag for support for the accommodation and meeting rooms. Those present included Graham P, Ian, Celia, Elaine, Justine, Graham N, Denny, Marina, Dawn, Pat, Cath and Steve, with apologies from Mick and Bev. Matters discussed include:

(29.9.07)

Your committee met in London on 8th June 2007 (thanks to Janssen-Cilag for supporting accommodation). Members present included Pat, Denise, Dawn, Stephen Guy (for CMHP), Marina, Graham P, Ian, Justine, Bev, Denny and Steve Bazire. Apologies from Elaine and Mick. Items discussed included:

(5.7.07

)

Authors needed for pharmacy publications - Adrienne Dumont is looking for authors to write some clinical updates for community pharmacists on psychiatric topics. The most immediate topics will be the drug treatment of anxiety/depression and mental health pre-and post childbirth (based on the recent NICE guidelines). Each article would be 1,600-1,800 words and the fee £175 per 1,000 words, with deadlines to suit yourselves. The best e-mail to contact her on is ademont @ lineone.net as she is only at work office once a week (phone 020 8508 4489).

(5.07)

Mental Health Research Network (MHRN) - Congratulations to David Taylor (Chief Pharmacist at The Maudsley) who has recently been made the pharmacy lead for the Mental Health Research Network (MHRN) – a UK–wide Department of Health-funded research organisation.

David will be representing pharmacy interests in multi-centre research projects involving pharmaceutical products.  Another part of his role is to set up a pharmacy research group.  This group, probably of about 10 people, will design, co-ordinate and oversee pharmacy-led research projects requiring a multi-centre approach. 

This is a great opportunity for mental health pharmacy to establish itself in high level research under the auspices of the Department of Health. 

David is now looking for volunteers to join the MHRN pharmacy research group.  This will involve four meetings a year in London or Manchester and additional work arising from research undertaken.  It is envisaged that all research will be externally funded such that there will be no need to provide services without adequate remuneration.

If you want to volunteer for this group please contact David on David.Taylor@slam.nhs.uk.  Details of the MHRN are available at www.ukmhrn.info .

(May 2007)

The future of the RPSGB - Bev Faulkner took part in the RPSGB "Engaging to transform the profession" meeting on 30th April 2007, and reports the following. Following a welcome by Hemant Patel, Ann Lewis gave a presentation of the main points in the White paper, as background for the day, and then Professor Bob Michell (Lay member of the council) gave a talk on the view from another angle (very interesting). A flavour of the results of the pre-workshop questionnaire was given by David Pruce. Then followed a series of workshops around the functions, values and governance of a Royal College, and a chance for groups to discuss issues such as supporting Generalist and Specialist pharmacists, Education and Training (College Vs GPC), Reflecting Devolution and Achieving Wide Membership, with feedback then to all.

From the feedback the main requests were for the Society to put all the information together to generate some form of consultation regarding the aims of a college. However, it did seem that the Society were going to be taking that forward, and plan to merge into the college, and not into the GPC. The reason given for that was that the Society would never get agreement from its members to give away its assets to a government body, and that the Society did much more than regulate, so who else would continue to do this other valuable stuff such as the library, and professional help accessible by its members on a day to day basis?

There was great variation in opinion on many topics, and a general feeling that much work would have to be done to engage Community Pharmacy as the College appears to be geared towards secondary care. The Society released a statement to the press on May 1st which has a much more upbeat view of the day than the one I took away. The value of yet another day discussing the same things can only be judged on the action that is taken next.

Some notes on the questionnaire results (27 respondents):
Question 1. Are you in favour of the formation of a Royal College?
            24 in favour
            3   it depends…..
Question 2. What should the balance of generalists and specialists be in the Royal College?
100% felt it needed to embrace everyone, but reflect the membership. No one group should dominate, and that it required focused and strategic leadership.
Question 3. Do you think the Society, working with PSNI and others, should host the Royal College and why?
            Yes      15
            No       2
            Need to consider the options          8.
Noted that it is not clear what is meant by host, and that the society should not dominate, but should just form one part of a new organisation that will be the college.
Questions 4 and 5. What would make your organisation wish to amalgamate with/associate with or work with the Royal College and What sort of relationship would your organisation like with the Royal College?
            Amalgamate  4
            Associate       12
            Work with       12
            Other               4.
            Comments included only if the college supports my org’s own agenda, faculties need to feed into the governing body, what will the college do?

Memorable quotes of the day.
‘must recognise that in this country we have an international reputation’ Ann Lewis talking about RPSGB.
‘regulatory hysteria post Shipman’ Bob Michell
‘Doctors understand diseases, nurses understand patients, pharmacists understand medicines’ Unattributed.

On the subject of tech membership of the college, group 1 fed back that ‘it would be better to have them inside the tent looking out, rather than outside the tent looking in. However, do we want them in our sleeping bags as well?’.

Bev, 2/5/07

Friday 20th April 2007: Your committee met in York (thanks to Shire for supporting accommodation and the meeting room).
Present: Cath, Bev, Mick, Pat, Marina, Graham N, Denny, Dawn, Celia, Steve, Ian and Elaine.

Friday 2nd February 2007: Your committee met in Chester-le-Street, with thanks to Eisai Pharma for the support of meeting room and accommodation.
Present: Graham P, Graham N, Michael, Steve, Denise, Elaine, Ian, Marina, Bev and Cath
Apologies from Trudi, Dawn, Justine, Denny and Celia.
Matters discussed included:

2006

Monday 20th November. The long-awaited website revamp occurred courtesy of Chris Goff, who travelled the long miles from Cardiff to Lincoln via Norwich. Steve will now work his way through the site checking all the pages to check they're correct (the conference pages have needed a lot of work so far) and update the whole site after the limbo period. All comments gratefully received!

Thursday 16th and Friday 17th November. Your committee (well, Graham P, Ian, Michael, Steve and Dawn anyway) had a business planning meeting in Sedgefield on the Friday then met with the CMHP (Celia, Stephen Guy, Stephen Bleakley, Stuart and Kathy) and Dave Branford to sort out the future CMHP/UKPPG roles. The result of this will be announced as soon as we worked out what we decided. Thanks to Lundbeck for supporting this event. The conference 2007 was also looked at, as was committee structure.

Friday 20th January 2006. Your committee met in London (thanks to Denfleet Pharma for supporting accommodation and meeting rooms) on Friday 20th January 2006. Those present were Graham Newton, Graham Parton, Ian, Wendy Davies, Denise, Michael, Dawn, Denny, Morag, Celia and Steve (apologies from Justine and Gill):

Matters discussed included: