1. Reducing The Stigma in Mental Health – An Evaluation of a Joint Acute and Mental Health Trust Shared Learning Programme
Anthony Young1 Lead Pharmacist - Workforce Development and Research , Kate Smith2 Senior Clinical Pharmacist – Staff Development , Claire Thomas1 Deputy Chief Pharmacist, Richard Copeland2 Head of Clinical Services/Deputy Chief Pharmacist
Pharmacy Department, Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust
Pharmacy Department, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Background
Patients with serious mental illness die up to 20 years earlier than those without. In many cases this is preventable. Improving the knowledge of pharmacists involved in both mental and physical health sectors is one of the ways that this could be supported1. When patients with mental health problems are admitted to a general or acute hospital it is often their physical health issues that are prioritised. Whilst this is often clinically appropriate, the confidence amongst the clinical pharmacy team around mental health and its impact on physical health is sometimes low. There is the opposite issue in mental health specialist pharmacists. There are many strategies that have called for this key issue to be addressed in narrowing of the gap in terms of the physical health of patients with mental illness2,3.
It was decided to run a series of events to bring the two sectors together to look at how mental health and physical health within medicines optimisation could be improved. We believe that shared learning across organisational boundaries is a novel way of learning and one that improves professional networks as well as competence.
Objective
To analyse the success and usefulness of the shared learning events and whether it would change practice going forward to improve patient care. 
Method
An informal evening session
Learning through facilitated case studies
Co-led by acute and mental health pharmacists
Mental and physical health needs were reviewed
Survey Monkey was circulated after each event to capture the views of participants
60 members of the pharmacy teams attended including GP and secondary care pharmacists
Examples of Facilitated Cases Used
Dementia and the use of antipsychotics in delirium
Lithium and acute kidney injury
Clozapine in a patient with cardiovascular risks
Results
Discussion and Conclusion
100% of feedback of those involved in the events found them extremely beneficial
We believe patient care has improved as a result
Increased professional networks
Improved communication between the acute and mental health trust
Next Steps…
Further events have been organised
Acute trusts in our other localities of our Trust are now collaborating with NTW to have similar events
The links that have been formed have led to further workforce discussion such as shared posts between sectors
References