My pleasure! It was an excellent conference. #CMHP25
Thanks for inviting me and I hope we get to work together again in future.
Props to all the dedicated and hard working pharmacists and pharmacy technicians 👏🏽
Thank you @thementalelf.bsky.social and Andre for your work over the last 2 days making our conference accessible to more than just the people in the room. We really valued your insightful commentary on all the sessions! #cmhp25
This is André from the Mental Elf signing off and wishing all of the #CMHP25 delegates safe journeys home 👋 I'm heading back to the elfin woodland at the end of the rainbow 🌈 (just outside Bristol). See you next time! @cmhpcommunity.pharmsky.app
Thanks to everyone who joined in person and online for #CMHP25. The energy, openness, and commitment to improving care have been outstanding. Until next year: keep asking questions, sharing evidence, and championing change.
A few final words now from Karen Shukar, President of @cmhpcommunity.pharmsky.app who is thanking all of the speakers, delegates, exhibitors, partners and the venue here in Liverpool. #CMHP25
Next year will be in Oct 2026.
Overall, today’s sessions showed the complexity of modern health care and the importance of research-informed pharmacy leadership across every setting. #CMHP25
Dr Caroline Copeland's new research looking at fatal drug overdoses in healthcare workers was fascinating and moving. I'll certainly be covering that on the Mental Elf in the near future. Vital research that is unearthing a hidden issue that needs urgent attention #CMHP25
It was interesting to hear Sion Scott apply behavioural change theory to managing antipsychotic side-effects. Definitely work to keep an eye on. It think he's about half way through this research, so perhaps we'll hear more at a future @cmhpcommunity.pharmsky.app conference? #CMHP25
Mary Doherty's @autisticdoctor.bsky.social talk on autistic healthcare professionals was incredible & I got quite emotional hearing her talk about the shame she & other autistic people feel. Wow! We've come a long way in recent years with neurodiversity, but there is SO MUCH work still to do #CMHP25
I really enjoyed all the talks today - I learned a lot on a really diverse range of topics - great programming from the #CMHP25 organisers!
First of all, we are going to experience a quick mindfulness exercise with Dr Asta Prajapati
@mentalspa.bsky.social who is joining us via video recording #CMHP25
Well, now #CMHP25 in Liverpool is coming to a close after another full day of learning and reflection.
It's been a fantastic 2 days that has reminded us how inclusive, evidence-based practice can save lives and change systems.
THREAD 🧵
"Death is the ultimate adverse drug event, but each death can tell us how to prevent the next."
Great talk from Caroline Copeland highlighting this hidden problem. It's important that pharmacists & pharmacy technicians educate themselves about substance misuse to provide high quality care #CMHP25
Caroline's solutions included:
prevention (not reducing diversion, supporting ppl)
detection (not tracking substances, detecting ppl's struggles)
early intervention (open culture for supporting staff, reducing stigma)
treatment and recovery (better access, return to work exemplars)
#CMHP25
There was a high prevalence of people having access to drugs, including hospital-only drugs. Very few cases involved illicit substances. Most were taken from work. Although coroner reports may have under-reported these. Private prescriptions were feasible #CMHP25
Where drug overdose deaths in healthcare professionals have happened, physical and mental health problems have been common. Recent events are also important (e.g. relationship breakups, fitness at work investigations), as is chronic pain. History of substance use is often hidden. #CMHP25
Many healthcare workers have access to controlled drugs and the knowledge about how drugs work and how they can be taken #CMHP25
Coupled with the very stressful working environments and burnout in the NHS, this becomes a perfect storm.
Caroline is moving on to talk about a new paper on fatal drug overdoses in healthcare workers: A thematic framework analysis of coroner reports. Addiction doi.org/10.1111/add.... #CMHP25
She explains that her anaesthetist husband has lost 3 colleagues in this way in only 15 years. It's a big issue!
There has been a majority return to daily supervised methadone, says Caroline #CMHP25
The biggest increase in methadone related deaths came from people who were not in active receipt of a methadone prescription, which suggests diversion, i.e. prescribed methadone is sold to others #CMHP25
This change in Methadone dispensing led to an increase in deaths
Aldabergenov et al., (2022). Methadone and buprenorphine-related deaths among people prescribed and not prescribed Opioid Agonist Therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic in England. Int J Drug Policy doi.org/10.1016/j.dr... #CMHP25
Now Caroline moves on to talking about methadone.
During the pandemic the dispensing of methadone changed from daily dosing in a pharmacy to giving patients bottles that last for 2 weeks. There were good reasons for this, but it resulted in lots of methadone in the community #CMHP25
There's increasing evidence saying that sedating anti-histamines are really bad sleep aids, and we can improve sleep hygiene better.
Many countries have taken these drugs off the pharmacy shelves already, and made them prescription only #CMHP25
Is there an argument for making sedating anti-histamines prescription only?
Pros: (harm reduction, unlicensed (unsafe) use, control pack size, enhance clinician oversight, drive better patient/professional understanding)
Cons: workload, reduced access, loss of self-care, script charges
#CMHP25
We need a more holistic assessment says Caroline. The 'use context' is important. We generally think that sedating anti-histamines are safe and not addictive.
Opioid users report that anti-histamines can enhance the opioid high, reduce the opioid related itch, help to blunt withdrawal etc #CMHP25
Are Anti-Histamines really THAT dangerous?
Caroline's research shows the numbers of detections in reported deaths have risen sharply in the last few years, but what's the 'implication rate' over time?
They are generally seen as less harmful by coroners, perhaps because of polypharmacy #CMHP25
Caroline's team monitors changes in the drug market, evaluates drug policy, and informs public health about harm reduction responses #CMHP25
Today she is going to talk about antihistamine-related deaths and drug overdoses in health professionals
"All things are poison, and nothing is without poison, only the dose makes a thing the poison"
Caroline begins by quoting the Swiss physician Paracelsus #CMHP25
Even drinking too much water can be extremely harmful.
Next keynote at #CMHP25 is Dr Caroline Copeland from King’s College London who is speaking on:
Medicines, Misuse & Mortality: Lessons for Mental Health Pharmacy.
Her research exposes the human cost of medication misuse and how policy can sometimes make things worse.
www.kcl.ac.uk/research/the...
Now Sion is now saying a few words about the @nihr.bsky.social Pharmacy Professionals Incubator, which "aims to increase the capacity of pharmacy professionals working in all sectors to become involved in healthcare research". #CMHP25 pharmacyresearchprofessionals.org.uk
