Medication safety across the system: opioid safety

Event 29 March 2023Location On-line via Webex 12:30 - 14:00

Discussion of key current medication safety challenges within healthcare with a focus on opioids. We aim to inspire partnership working across the system.

Date

29 March 2023

Location

On-line via Webex 12:30 - 14:00

About the event

This interactive session was the first of a new quarterly series about medication safety aimed at healthcare professionals, working in any sector with a role or passion for medication safety and/or involved in opioid management.

Our speakers shared innovative practices that have the potential to be translated and replicated.

Why it’s important

Opioids have the potential to do more harm than good when used for chronic non-cancer pain that has no treatable cause, particularly when used at higher doses.  This session will equip healthcare professionals with insights, support, and shared learning, to tackle practice with opioids that may lead to harm.

What was covered:

  1. A discussion of key issues that impact safe opioid use within the system and on-going opioid safety programmes that align to the national strategy for patent safety.
  2. Learn how embedding a ‘personalised care approach‘ within your practice can lead to safer opioid use
  3. ‘Lived experience’ shared to understand the impact opioid safety initiatives can have that will inspire to take action.
  4. Shared exemplar practices related to opioid safety, which will allow for reflection on local practice and consideration for implementation at a local and system level.

Learning outcomes:

  1. Articulate key current issues around opioid safety
  2. Use the information shared regarding opioid safety to assess local working practices at both an organisational level and across the system
  3. Reflect on the examples shared and identify actions or responses to recommend locally, in order to improve safe practice
  4. Take opportunities to network with peers to inform the development of appropriate local and system wide responses to opioid safety concerns

Speakers

We have a range of speakers from SPS and other organisations.

Guest speaker

We were joined by the following speakers.

Tony Jamieson

Patient Safety Specialist & Clinical Improvement Lead, Medicines Safety Improvement Programme, NHS England

Keynote – Professor Alf Collins

National Clinical Director for Personalised Care, NHS England

Dr Kirstie Anderson

Consultant Neurologist, Regional Sleep Service, Newcastle

Sara Izadi

ICB Medication Safety Lead, NW London ICB

Joanne Peh

Head of Hounslow PCN Pharmacy and Social Prescriber Services, Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust.

Khatija Choudry

Senior lead PCN clinical pharmacist, Feltham & Bedfont Primary Care Network and Hounslow and Richmond Community Healthcare NHS Trust

Gill Gookey

Medicines Safety Lead Pharmacist, East Midlands Academic Health Science Network

SPS speakers

The meeting was led by Anna and Emma.  Barry was MC, while Nicola monitored the chat box.

Please see below for more details:

Resources

We are grateful to our colleagues for recording the following videos.

Recordings

Information presented during this webinar and associated videos is correct at time of recording. Current guidance should be followed.

Webinar recording

A lived experience with opioids – The patient voice

Louise Trewern has recorded an interview discussing her experience with opioids.

Having positive conversations with patients on long term opioids

Dr Nat Wright & Dr Caroline Watson share their experiences about how to have positive and constructive consultations with patients on long term opioids

Presentation resources

System Safety Update – Opioids Mar 23

A resource collating the latest medication safety communications and publications with a special focus on opioids.  Intended to inform, support and inspire medication safety improvements.

Contact

Please contact the admin team if you have any questions.