Kirklees mental health primary care pharmacy team are an advanced specialist mental health service who will provide support around medication to people in the community.
In our team we have three clinical pharmacists and two pharmacy technicians. All the pharmacists are either trained or training to be non-medical prescribers. We use our expertise to enhance the optimisation of mental health medicines across Kirklees.
We work collaboratively with GP (general practitioner) pharmacy teams so that work isn’t duplicated.
Examples of mental health medicines information
Switching advice between agents e.g. antidepressants
Initiation and cessation (deprescribing) of mental health medications
Adverse drug reaction (side effects) significance, management, and monitoring
Drug-drug interactions, drug-disease interactions, significance, management, and monitoring
Medication safety and choices with comorbidity such as pregnancy, lactation, renal or hepatic impairment etc
Input into improvements with medication adherence, simplification of regime etc, advice on reintroduction of medication after a period of non-adherence
Queries relating to shared care of mental health medications
Queries relating to ongoing medication and monitoring for people recently discharged from SWYT inpatient wards or outpatient clinics
Involvement in case reviews
Staff you may meet
A pharmacist is an expert in medicines and their use. They work to ensure that patients get the maximum benefit from their medicines and can practice in hospital pharmacy, community pharmacy or in primary care pharmacy.
Pharmacy technicians prepare and supply medicines for prescriptions, under the supervision of a pharmacist.
Support offered
• Offer mental health related medicines information to primary care networks
• Provide mental health medication related education and training to primary care networks
• Structured medication reviews (SMRs) for targeted mental health related regimes
• Review discharged patients from SWYFT inpatient wards within 7 days to ensure all aspects relating to medication have been reconciled accurately by the relevant GP practice and provide input where necessary
We offer structured medication reviews to:
• People prescribed dosulepin / trimipramine
• People prescribed potentially addictive medication used for a mental health condition such as benzodiazepines and z-drugs who have been on the dose/without a review for a certain amount of time
• People prescribed high risk medications such as clozapine, depot antipsychotics, lithium, high dose antipsychotics and multiple agents from the same pharmacological class
• People diagnosed with dementia prescribed an antipsychotic for BPSD for >3months.
• People with a diagnosis of learning disability and/or autism that are prescribed mental health medication (in line with STOMP) for > 3months
• People who are prescribed medication with high anticholinergic burden or experiencing these side effects
• People at the request of an individual / carer / relative with concerns about the number of mental health medicines they are taking or who have requested counselling or advice on medication requiring a mental health specialist
Referrals accepted from:
GPs
Referral criteria:
• Kirklees residents receiving care under the NHS
• Aged over 18 (but may accept younger depending on individual case)
• Person has consented to receive input from the mental health pharmacy team
Exclusion criteria:
Person is experiencing a mental health crisis and / or is actively suicidal
• Acute intoxication
• Acute psychosis
• Alcohol withdrawal
• Injury which requires treatment
• Overdose/treatment or observations required
• Personal care
We accept referrals from:
• GPs, primary care network pharmacy teams, community pharmacy teams, hospital pharmacy teams, advanced clinical practitioners, practice nurses, health care assistants, mental health practitioners, social prescribers, care coordinators, practice managers, dietitians, care homes, and physical health and wellness teams
• Smoking cessation services – specifically all patients prescribed clozapine wishing to reduce or stop smoking
How to refer
Email PCMHPharmacy.Kirklees@swyt.nhs.uk with brief details, including NHS number and GP practice. We aim to respond within 5 working days.