NHS South Yorkshire is delighted to announce that our Medicines Optimisation Teams in Sheffield and Rotherham have received national recognition at the 2023 PrescQIPP Awards.
The Rotherham team picked up the Patient safety and Addressing Overprescribing Award for the launch of Antidepressant Review Clinics, which also won the overall PrescQIPP Silver award. The Sheffield team, in collaboration with Sheffield’s Childrens Hospital, won this year’s Sustainability Award for their Collaborative Inhaler Returns initiative.
Antidepressant Review Clinics in Rotherham have helped to significantly reduce long term use of antidepressants in the area. The new virtual clinics allow patients that wish to stop their antidepressants to receive quick support and counselling.
The clinics are a one-stop-shop for patients where changes can be made to medication and new prescriptions can be issued without the need to attend further appointments. As the service is online, patients can easily book appointments at a time to suit them.
Patients in Rotherham also helped to develop a self-help website where people can be directed for help for a range of life’s challenges such as debt, bereavement, gambling and relationship issues.
Across the county in Sheffield, the Collaborative Inhaler Returns initiative has seen a programme of education for patients about safe disposal of inhalers and new ways to do so.
Working in collaboration with Sheffield Children’s Hospital, all used inhalers – minus the spacer – can be returned to local pharmacies or Sheffield Children’s Hospital for safer disposal.
Dr David Crichton, Chief Medical Officer at NHS South Yorkshire said: “Our Medicines Optimisation teams across the region have really shined at this year’s PrescQIPP awards and that is testament to our commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of people in South Yorkshire.”
“Nearly 700 patients have accessed the new Antidepressant Review Clinics in Rotherham, resulting in over 250 patients reducing their dosage and over 400 patients stopping their antidepressant use entirely. The service model is now being applied to other areas of long-term prescribing, such as hypnotics and benzodiazepines, where we hope we can continue to safely reduce the use of these medications.”
“We’re also delighted to be recognised for leading the way on greener inhaler disposal in South Yorkshire. Returning used or unwanted inhalers to a pharmacy or to Sheffield Children’s Hospital is a simple and effective way to reduce our carbon footprint and help protect our planet for this and future generations.”
The South Yorkshire winners and nominees were:
Patient safety and addressing overprescribing category - Winner
- Rotherham Medicines Optimisation team - Antidepressant Review Clinics - Antidepressant deprescribing project which has led to reduction of long-term use of antidepressants and development of self-help website for patients.
Sustainability category - Winner
- Sheffield Medicines Optimisation team - Collaborative Inhaler Returns, in collaboration with Sheffield Children's Hospital, educated patients to dispose of inhalers sustainably.
Patient safety and addressing overprescribing category - Shortlisted
- Sheffield MOT led project to promote Asthma Right Care, leading on local implementation of a global initiative to disrupt the current way of thinking and driving change in the management of asthma. The project focused on reducing over reliance on reliever inhalers.
The 2023 PrescQIPP Annual Event and Awards took place on Tuesday 3 October 2023 at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham.