Framework for medicines optimisation and safety in primary care post mental health discharge.

What is the problem?

When people with mental illness return to the community following discharge from mental health hospitals, we know they may be more likely to be re-admitted or need care due to problems with their medicines. The medicines that a patient has may be different after hospital discharge compared to when they first entered hospital. Patients, carers and health professionals need more support to work together to help patients adjust to these treatment changes when they are back in the community after discharge. Improving the safety of mental health hospital discharge and use of medicines are therefore seen as important priorities for patients and health services. However, there has been little research to understand how patients and their carers use and understand their medicines in the community after discharge, what support they and health professionals need, and who they may ask for this support. Health professionals working in the community supporting these patients may also lack guidance on how best to work together which is important as mental health, general practice, community pharmacy and social care are now expected to work more closely together.

What will we do about it?

This research study aims to create a ‘best practice’ guide for health professionals and patients/carers to use in the community following mental health hospital discharge. It is designed to help them work better together so medicines are used in the safest and most effective way. To do this, our study will be carried out in three stages and will be guided by those with lived experience on our research team and project steering group. In stage one, we will interview patients, carers and health professionals to find out how medicines are used and what people feel may help or hinder their safe and effective use after hospital discharge. We are also interested in what support they need with medicines, and if and where support can be found. Using the results of stage one of the project, we will then work together with patients, carers, health professionals and policy makers during stage two to create what goes into the ‘best practice’ guide during workshops. The ‘best practice’ guide will include what is important to think about from the patient, carer and health service perspective alongside the things we can do to make a difference. During stage three we will produce the ‘best practice’ guide and make it available as separate versions for patients/carers and health professionals if needed. We will apply for more research funding to bring together the guide alongside our other work on improving mental health hospital discharge safety to test a new, safer way patients with mental illness can move between hospital and the community.

Amount awarded: £74,966