Talking Meds - A PrescQIPP podcast

Welcome to the latest episode of Talking Meds and the PrescQIPP podcast, engaging conversations about medicines-related dilemmas. Today, your host Jonathan Underhill, Medicines Clinical Adviser at PrescQIPP, talks to Laura Angus about the  recently published 10 year Health Plan for England, 'Fit for the Future' and the implications for medicines and pharmacy.Laura likes to stress that, first and foremost, she is a mum of two boys and one crazy cocker spaniel! She work as the Chief Pharmacy Officer/Director of Pharmacy and Medicines Optimisation for Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB). In the past 20+ years, Laura has worked in practically all sectors of pharmacy, including commissioning, as Head of Medicines Optimisation at NHS Vale of York CCG, GP Practices as a practice pharmacist; community pharmacy; hospital pharmacy; and in education and training as a teacher practitioner at the University of Bradford and as a regional professional training manager. In today's episode Jonathan and Laura discuss the '10 Year plan' as well as the 'Model ICB' that have recently been published. The implications for how we deliver pharmacy and medicines services in the future are huge - but much of the plan is rather high level and how we operationalise this is yet to be determined. Laura and Jonathan discuss how this can be a positive as we can help shape what this looks like.The role of AI and the Single National Formulary are discussed as well as the important role for the Independent UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board.Resources mentioned in this episode:Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for EnglandIndependent UK Pharmacy Professional Leadership Advisory Board.Model ICBUseful resources on the 10 Year plan:Nuffield Trust - An engine for economic growth? Why it won’t be a piece of cake for the NHSNHS Confederation guide:Podcast from NHS Confederation:5 Minute video take on 10 year plan:Blog from Ewan Maule on Single National FormularyA new episode of Talking Meds will be available every other Friday.If you have feedback or suggestions for future topics and guests please submit them to talkingmeds@prescqipp.infoPrescQIPP is funded by the NHS for the NHS, and our aim is to improve medicines-related care for patients. We do this by producing high quality evidence-based resources and training, and by facilitating networks between NHS organisations and professionals. The majority of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the UK can access our resources by registering and logging on to our website. If you have any difficulty accessing the website you can email help@prescqipp.info and we’ll aim to sort things out for you. Find out more about PrescQIPP here

Welcome to the latest episode of Talking Meds and the PrescQIPP podcast, engaging conversations about medicines-related dilemmas. Today, your host Jonathan Underhill, Medicines Clinical Adviser at PrescQIPP, talks to Prof Adam Todd about inequalities in the use of medicines and the role of pharmacy in addressing that.Adam Todd is a Professor of Pharmaceutical Public Health, and Deputy Head of the School of Pharmacy at Newcastle University. He is a qualified pharmacist and a Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Previous to that he was Programme Director for the MPharm course at Durham and Deputy Director of the Centre of Health and Inequalities Research. That led him into leading some truly innovative research into inequalities in the use of medicines and how pharmacy can perhaps help to buck the inverse care law* (*where those who most need access to healthcare are the least likely to do so).Adam still contributes to the care of patients on a regular basis working with at St. Benedict’s Hospice in Sunderland helping with person-centred and appropriate medicines use (and of course where deprescribing can be considered). He also regularly works as a community pharmacist – which helps ensure he isn't just one of those academics that can be accused of being detached from the real world!Resources mentioned in this episode:Prof Adam Todd's published researchThe Positive Pharmacy Care Law Revisited: an area-level analysis of the relationship between community pharmacy distribution, urbanity and deprivation in England.The Inverse Care Law - Julian Tudor HartTackling the inverse care law - Analysis of policies to improve general practice in deprived areas since 1990Marmot Review report – 'Fair Society, Healthy LivesA new episode of Talking Meds will be available every other Friday.If you have feedback or suggestions for future topics and guests please submit them to talkingmeds@prescqipp.infoPrescQIPP is funded by the NHS for the NHS, and our aim is to improve medicines-related care for patients. We do this by producing high quality evidence-based resources and training, and by facilitating networks between NHS organisations and professionals. The majority of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the UK can access our resources by registering and logging on to our website. If you have any difficulty accessing the website you can email help@prescqipp.info and we’ll aim to sort things out for you. Find out more about PrescQIPP here

Welcome to the latest episode of Talking Meds and the PrescQIPP podcast, engaging conversations about medicines-related dilemmas. Today, your host Jonathan Underhill, Medicines Clinical Adviser at PrescQIPP, continues the series of podcasts called 'Caring about medicines in Care Homes with Jonathan and Sundus'. Here, Jonathan talks to Sundus Jawad who works for NHS Frimley, and has over 25 years' experience working closely with GP practices, care homes and other providers. In this episode, Jonathan and Sundus discuss the importance of having good networks and the role of forums like PrescQIPP's Virtual Professional Group (VPG) for care homes in helping with that. While Robins are lovely, iconic birds, perhaps being more like Blue Tits can help us more! They discuss some personal examples of how forming networks has helped them, with a couple of fascinating patient stories along the way.They also discuss their initial thoughts about the recently published 10 year Health Plan for England, 'Fit for the Future' and the implications for medicines, pharmacy and care homes within that.PrescQIPP resources mentioned in this episode:Care Homes Virtual Professional GroupOther resources mentioned in this episode:Diffusion of Innovations in Service Organizations: Systematic Review and Recommendations - Trisha Greenhalgh et al Milbank Q 2004CPPE online programme on Shared Decision MakingMe and My MedicinesFit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England"Show Me Your Medicines Please" resources (available for free from the PrescQIPP website):Show Me Your Medicines PleaseA new episode of Talking Meds will be available every other Friday.If you have feedback or suggestions for future topics and guests please submit them to talkingmeds@prescqipp.infoPrescQIPP is funded by the NHS for the NHS, and our aim is to improve medicines-related care for patients. We do this by producing high quality evidence-based resources and training, and by facilitating networks between NHS organisations and professionals. The majority of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the UK can access our resources by registering and logging on to our website. If you have any difficulty accessing the website you can email help@prescqipp.info and we’ll aim to sort things out for you. Find out more about PrescQIPP here

Welcome to the latest episode of Talking Meds and the PrescQIPP podcast, engaging conversations about medicines-related dilemmas. Today, your host Jonathan Underhill, Medicines Clinical Adviser at PrescQIPP, talks to Dr Deb Gompertz about a truly inspirational piece of work she led called 'Show me your medicines please'.Deb was a GP partner for 16 years then complex care GP for last 8 working within the South part of Somerset Foundation Trust. She is Deputy Honorary Secretary for the British Geriatrics Society. Like me, she has a strong interest in person centred care and shared decision makingSeeing a patient’s medication is not part of the normal medication review. Deb and her team showed that, by asking people to 'show me your medicines please' they identified a cohort of the population at increased risk of adverse events from erratic medicines use, poor long-term condition management and, potentially, an undiagnosed condition such as dementia. In the first three-month pilot, the team identified 40 patients (1 in 4 of those assessed) who were not taking their medicines as per their prescribed regimen. They identified 1,049 individual months of unused prescription items and the total amount of wasted medication was valued at £10,866.You can see how impactful this simple intervention can be. Frankly, we think asking the question, 'show me your medicines please'  should be a routine part of medication review."Show Me Your Medicines Please" resources (available for free from the PrescQIPP website):Show Me Your Medicines PleasePrescQIPP resources mentioned in this episode:Bulletin 366. Medicines adherence and wasteBulletin 319: Good prescribingBulletin 268: IMPACTBulletin 255. Prevent Medicine Waste Campaigns - inhalers, insulin, ONS (sip feeds) and general campaignAdherence and wasteOther resources mentioned in this episode:Show me your medicines please - British Geriatric SocietyPharmaceutical Journal article on the projectRadical candour resourcesA new episode of Talking Meds will be available every other Friday.If you have feedback or suggestions for future topics and guests please submit them to talkingmeds@prescqipp.infoPrescQIPP is funded by the NHS for the NHS, and our aim is to improve medicines-related care for patients. We do this by producing high quality evidence-based resources and training, and by facilitating networks between NHS organisations and professionals. The majority of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the UK can access our resources by registering and logging on to our website. If you have any difficulty accessing the website you can email help@prescqipp.info and we’ll aim to sort things out for you. Find out more about PrescQIPP here

Welcome to the latest episode of Talking Meds and the PrescQIPP podcast, engaging conversations about medicines-related dilemmas. Today, your host Jonathan Underhill, Medicines Clinical Adviser at PrescQIPP, continues the series 'Caring about medicines in Care Homes with Jonathan and Sundus'. Here, Jonathan talks to Sundus Jawad who works for NHS Frimley, and has over 25 years' experience working closely with GP practices, care homes and other providers. Sundus was recently elected Chair of the National Pharmacy Care Home Faculty and is a NICE Medicines and Prescribing Associate. Her professional and research interests focus on medicine optimisation in care homes, frailty, medication review, polypharmacy, and medication safety. Currently, she is in her fellowship year of the NIHR SPCR Primary Care Clinician Career Progression programme at the University of Oxford.Jonathan and Sundus discuss some of the ways Care Homes Pharmacy professionals can stay in touch to share good ideas and support each other with their medicines challenges. They also discuss some projects Sundus has been involved with, including ensuring adequate hydration in care homes and how this can impact on antibiotic stewardship.PrescQIPP resources mentioned in this episode:E-learning: Nutrition and Hydration in care homesCare home VPG: 15th January 2025 - Frailty and NutritionOther resources mentioned in this episode:Reducing urinary tract infections in care homes by improving hydrationResources – Good Hydration! - Health Innovation Oxford & Thames ValleyPCPA NPCHF | PCPA - Primary Care Pharmacy AssociationCPPE Medicines optimisation in care homes training pathway for pharmacy professionalsA new episode of Talking Meds will be available every other Friday.If you have feedback or suggestions for future topics and guests please submit them to talkingmeds@prescqipp.infoPrescQIPP is funded by the NHS for the NHS, and our aim is to improve medicines-related care for patients. We do this by producing high quality evidence-based resources and training, and by facilitating networks between NHS organisations and professionals. The majority of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the UK can access our resources by registering and logging on to our website. If you have any difficulty accessing the website you can email help@prescqipp.info and we’ll aim to sort things out for you. Find out more about PrescQIPP here

Welcome to the latest episode of Talking Meds and the PrescQIPP podcast, engaging conversations about medicines-related dilemmas. Today, your host Jonathan Underhill, Medicines Clinical Adviser at PrescQIPP, talks to Helen Kilminster about her role as Clinical Director of a PCN and the importance of having really good generalists in healthcare (spoiler alert, Jonathan and Helen both think pharmacists make great generalists!).Helen is the senior pharmacist, advanced clinical practitioner at Portway Family Practice, Sandwell in the West Midlands area of England. She is also the PCN Deputy Clinical Director for Citrus Health, which covers over 43,000 patients across 6 practices. Helen was the LVS lead for the COVID Vaccination Programme 2020, which provided vaccination services for 22 GP surgeries at City Hospital. She is the Vice President for Primary Care Pharmacy Association, a Royal Pharmaceutical Society Fellow and a member of the NHSEI Inclusive Pharmacy Practice Advisory Board,  NHSEI Pharmacy Integration Clinical Reference Group and was a committee member for the UK Commission on Pharmacy Professional Leadership.PrescQIPP resources mentioned in this episode:PrescQIPP Practice Medicines Coordinator e-learning (pay per use)Other resources mentioned in this episode:Range. How generalists triumph in a specialised world - David EpsteinSide Effects. How Our Healthcare Lost its Way – And How We Fix it - David HaslamA new episode of Talking Meds will be available every other Friday.If you have feedback or suggestions for future topics and guests please submit them to talkingmeds@prescqipp.infoPrescQIPP is funded by the NHS for the NHS, and our aim is to improve medicines-related care for patients. We do this by producing high quality evidence-based resources and training, and by facilitating networks between NHS organisations and professionals. The majority of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the UK can access our resources by registering and logging on to our website. If you have any difficulty accessing the website you can email help@prescqipp.info and we’ll aim to sort things out for you. Find out more about PrescQIPP here

Welcome to the latest episode of Talking Meds and the PrescQIPP podcast, engaging conversations about medicines-related dilemmas. Today, your host Jonathan Underhill, Medicines Clinical Adviser at PrescQIPP, talks to Minna Eii about the sustainability challenges for medicines.Minna  is an Acute Medicine hospital pharmacist based in the northeast. She is the co-founder of an environmentally conscious pharmacy group in the UK called Pharmacy Declares and the lead author of the newly launched Royal Pharmaceutical Society Greener Pharmacy Toolkit.Jonathan and Minna discuss what the challenges are for pharmacy as medicines account for 25% of carbon emissions within the NHS. While recycling packaging and avoiding waste is important, the challenge is far wider than that. Making sure the medicine is truly required and wanted by the person in the first place is key to this.Join Minna for an online webinar on 29th May by clicking this linkPrescQIPP resources mentioned in this episode:Find out more about the PrescQIPP AwardsPrescQIPP Bulletin 340. Sustainability in medicines optimisationPrescQIPP Community Resources - Sustainability in General Practice: Improving Health Outcomes through more sustainable prescribing a system wide PCN level Intervention (2024)A new episode of Talking Meds will be available every other Friday.If you have feedback or suggestions for future topics and guests please submit them to talkingmeds@prescqipp.infoPrescQIPP is funded by the NHS for the NHS, and our aim is to improve medicines-related care for patients. We do this by producing high quality evidence-based resources and training, and by facilitating networks between NHS organisations and professionals. The majority of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the UK can access our resources by registering and logging on to our website. If you have any difficulty accessing the website you can email help@prescqipp.info and we’ll aim to sort things out for you. Find out more about PrescQIPP here

Welcome to the latest episode of Talking Meds and the PrescQIPP podcast, engaging conversations about medicines-related dilemmas. Today, your host Jonathan Underhill, Medicines Clinical Adviser at PrescQIPP, continues the series of podcasts called 'Caring about medicines in Care Homes with Jonathan and Sundus'. Here, Jonathan talks to Sundus Jawad who works for NHS Frimley, and has over 25 years' experience working closely with GP practices, care homes and other providers. Sundus was recently elected Chair of the National Pharmacy Care Home Faculty and is a NICE Medicines and Prescribing Associate. Her professional and research interests focus on medicine optimisation in care homes, frailty, medication review, polypharmacy, and medication safety. Currently, she is in her fellowship year of the NIHR SPCR Primary Care Clinician Career Progression programme at the University of Oxford.In this episode, Jonathan and Sundus discuss some of medicines safety issues she has come across in her career and how care home settings produce particular challenges.  She shares some stories that have stuck with her - some of them will make your eyes water! All in all, this emphasises the need for good training and support for staff working in care settings, and how pharmacy professionals can help with this.PrescQIPP resources mentioned in this episode:PrescQIPP Care Homes WebkitOther resources mentioned in this episode:National Pharmacy Care Home Faculty in partnership with PCPAPharmaceutical Journal - How we reduced anticholinergic prescribing by 52%NICE Guideline on Managing medicines in care homesCare Quality Commission Medicines information for adult social care servicesA new episode of Talking Meds will be available every other Friday.If you have feedback or suggestions for future topics and guests please submit them to talkingmeds@prescqipp.infoPrescQIPP is funded by the NHS for the NHS, and our aim is to improve medicines-related care for patients. We do this by producing high quality evidence-based resources and training, and by facilitating networks between NHS organisations and professionals. The majority of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the UK can access our resources by registering and logging on to our website. If you have any difficulty accessing the website you can email help@prescqipp.info and we’ll aim to sort things out for you. Find out more about PrescQIPP here

Welcome to the latest episode of Talking Meds and the PrescQIPP podcast, engaging conversations about medicines-related dilemmas. Today, your host Jonathan Underhill, Medicines Clinical Adviser at PrescQIPP, talks to Philip Newland-Jones about new treatments for obesity and the updated NICE guideline from January 2025.Philip is a Consultant Pharmacist in Diabetes and Endocrinology and leads a large dynamic team at University Hospital Southampton. He works at a National level on various committees including being the lead pharmacist for the NHS England Diabetes and Endocrinology Clinical Reference Group.Jonathan and Philip discuss various challenging and sometimes controversial issues around the management of obesity. The evidence for the effectiveness of some of the medicines options is impressive, but they are not without side effects - careful and appropriate use is key. Many new medicines are in development and Philip gives us an insight into what we can expect on the horizon.PrescQIPP resources mentioned in this episode:Bulletin 323: Bariatric surgery July 2023PrescQIPP Prescribing Mastery; Prescribing Hot topics 26th March 2025Useful NICE obesity resources:Tirzepatide: local formulary informationA practical guide to using medicines to manage overweight and obesityOther resources mentioned in this episode:NHS England Interim commissioning guidance fortirzepatide (Mounjaro®)A new episode of Talking Meds will be available every other Friday.If you have feedback or suggestions for future topics and guests please submit them to talkingmeds@prescqipp.infoPrescQIPP is funded by the NHS for the NHS, and our aim is to improve medicines-related care for patients. We do this by producing high quality evidence-based resources and training, and by facilitating networks between NHS organisations and professionals. The majority of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the UK can access our resources by registering and logging on to our website. If you have any difficulty accessing the website you can email help@prescqipp.info and we’ll aim to sort things out for you. Find out more about PrescQIPP here

Welcome to the latest episode of Talking Meds and the PrescQIPP podcast, engaging conversations about medicines-related dilemmas. Today, your host Jonathan Underhill, Medicines Clinical Adviser at PrescQIPP, introduces the first episode of a new series called 'Caring about medicines in Care Homes with Jonathan and Sundus'. We meet Sundus Jawad, who works for NHS Frimley, and has over 25 years' experience working closely with GP practices, care homes and other providers. In this episode, our hosts discuss some of issues she comes across commonly in her everyday work in care settings, which will be covered in more detail in future episodes. These include specific medicines safety challenges, common medication errors, the importance of nutrition and hydration as well as dealing with some of the behavioural aspects of dementia. The role of pharmacy professionals within the wider multidisciplinary team is at the heart of all of this and Sundus shares some memorable stories of people living in care settings she has met along the way.PrescQIPP resources mentioned in this episode:PrescQIPP Care Homes webkitPrescQIPP Clinical Masterclass - September 2024 - Antipsychotic prescribing in people with dementiaPrescQIPP Bulletin 268: IMPACTPrescQIPP Bulletin 356: Stopping over-medication of psychotropic drugsPrescQIPP Bulletin 331: Medication reviews in patients with multi-morbidityOther resources mentioned in this episode:NICE Guideline on Managing medicines in care homesCare Quality Commission Medicines information for adult social care servicesRepeat Prescribing ToolkitNational Polypharmacy Programme from Wessex Health Innovation NetworkGet details of upcoming ALS cohorts and book your place here.A new episode of Talking Meds will be available every other Friday.If you have feedback or suggestions for future topics and guests please submit them to talkingmeds@prescqipp.infoPrescQIPP is funded by the NHS for the NHS, and our aim is to improve medicines-related care for patients. We do this by producing high quality evidence-based resources and training, and by facilitating networks between NHS organisations and professionals. The majority of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the UK can access our resources by registering and logging on to our website. If you have any difficulty accessing the website you can email help@prescqipp.info and we’ll aim to sort things out for you. Find out more about PrescQIPP here