Experts share their experiences with psychiatrists in a Medical Senate (large meeting)
Recently, one of our Experts by Experience shared their thoughts on medication prescribing and reviewing with other Experts. This led to Mental Health Together Experts and Staff meeting with Dr Stephen Jones (Chief Pharmacist at Derbyshire Healthcare), and Dr. Rais Ahmed (Clinical Director at Derbyshire Healthcare).
From this meeting, Mental Health Together was invited to a Medical Senate meeting which is designed for all NHS psychiatrists working in Derby and Derbyshire.
During the meeting, our Experts by Experience shared their personal experiences from hospital wards and the community. Key points included:
- People feel their medication isn’t reviewed regularly enough.
- They want better and more accessible information about their medication.
- They desire a good, trusting relationship with their psychiatrist, where decisions are made together.
“It was extremely powerful to hear feedback directly from Carer Experts and Experts by Experience of their contact with our services. Rose, Jean, Sandra, Hazel & Shelagh gave a valuable insight into how they experience services. Speaking about both how services can do better, and what “good” looks like. Thank you for sharing your feedback, which certainly gave me a lot to think about!”
– Dr Kopal Tandon, Consultant Psychiatrist at Kingsway Hospital Derby
Arun Chidambaram (Medical Director) emphasized the importance of:
- Having the right medication, considering all personal information and patient/carer views.
- Adjusting medication at the right time, in a timely and agreed manner.
- Providing helpful and accessible information about the medication.
He assured that the old culture of not properly consulting patients and carers, and not providing information, is no longer acceptable. Discharge summaries and clinical letters should always be addressed to the patient (and copied to the carer if agreed), unless indicated otherwise. This will be included in appraisals and job planning.
Additionally, Mental Health Together Experts are collaborating with the Pharmacy team to create an empowering leaflet to replace previous materials.