Sickness absences within the NHS have been on the rise with 27 million days across 2022, 22% of which were due to mental health and wellbeing related issues. The 2022–23 report on progress in improving NHS mental health services found that increased workload and staff shortages within the mental health sector was leading to concerns of staff ‘burnout’ and higher rate of staff turnover. There is an indication that CAMHs staff are at higher risk of poor wellbeing despite limited research in the UK. The audit aimed to gain insight into the wellbeing of staff working in CAMHs within the trust according to NICE Mental Wellbeing at Work (NG212) and highlight areas of concern and propose recommendations to improve staff wellbeing.

Anonymous self-report questionnaire, based on a validated tool recommended in the NICE NG212 guidance, was disseminated across four boroughs within the trust to measure wellbeing in the workplace. The survey had 19 questions, 17 requiring scores on Likert scales and 2 descriptive questions, aimed to gain information on the five drivers of wellbeing in the workplace (health, relationships, environment, security, and purpose).

A total of 123 responses were analysed. Across all four boroughs, physical health scored worse than mental health. 44.7% of respondents felt they had inadequate facilities in the workplace to support their health and wellbeing. Further, 32.5% of responses disagreed/strongly disagreed that change was managed well in their organisation compared with 25% who agree/strongly agree. Key words such as staff-appreciation and team-building days recurred in qualitative responses across the trust. There were further site-specific differences. Research shows that provision of workplace exercises can be safely used for the promotion of employees' physical and mental health. Cost-effective strategies such as staff-appreciation and gratitude can improve job satisfaction thereby promoting staff retention. To consider elements of face-to-face contact with colleagues could also have a positive impact on psychological wellbeing due to more productive meetings; increased networking; increase of engagement and job satisfaction.

The CAMHS staff wellbeing survey provided useful insight into staff perception of their wellbeing at work. Repeating the survey, after implementing recommendations, would help identify important determinants. Despite the survey being limited to the specific trust, further research into CAMHs staff wellbeing across the UK could help facilitate improvements and help with staff retention.

1. 1. To identify various physical and social health characteristics of heroin users to reduce further risks presenting to ED in Chesterfield, North Derbyshire.

2. 2. To consider whether any characteristics identified could develop a targeted screening tool for enhanced interventions.

A retrospective review of ED notes was conducted from Chesterfield Royal Hospital using electronic patient records of heroin users who are under the care of Drug and Recovery Partnership (DRP) in Chesterfield, North Derbyshire. We developed a proforma for data collection analysis using Microsoft Excel.

100 patients were chosen over a time interval of one year in which they have had at least one ED presentation.

We looked into Body mass index (BMI), physical health diagnoses, number of presentations to the ED in one year, psychotropic medications, dose of opioid substitution therapy and living circumstances of the attendees. These characteristics were identified in a previous study of local mortality data.

46% of the attendees only presented once in the study interval.

83% of the attendees presented to ED due to a medical reason.

41% of the attendees had raised BMI.

73% of the attendees who attended were on Opioid Substitution therapy (OST). 51% of the attendees were using a dose between 70–100 ml of methadone.

27% of the attendees had co-morbid COPD and Asthma.

47% of the attendees were on prescribed psychotropic agents. 56% of them were prescribed mirtazapine.

44% of the attendees lived alone, 33% with a partner.

1. 1. Based on the sample, 83% of the heroin users presenting to ED in this period of study attended due to physical health concerns.

2. 2. As half of the sample were not serial attenders (46%), it is important that opportunities of assessment for this high-risk group of people are not missed.

3. 3. Nearly three quarters (73%) of the attendees were on prescribed OST, half of those were within optimised dose. This suggests for tighter links between liaison to local drug services to alert presentations with specific consideration of harm reduction interventions, dose optimisation or re-titration onto OST.

4. 4. The data collected over this period supports the development of a pilot screening tool to prioritise enhanced care interventions with a specific focus on harm reduction for a specific group of high-risk heroin users.

Admissions to hospital can be traumatic for a person with dementia due to an inability to cope with unfamiliar environments, faces and routines. The dementia crisis service provides a rapid response and support, in particular to carers and care providers. The team support in managing problematic behaviours to avoid the need for a hospital admission. The team can complete physical examination and bloods in the home environment, reducing the need for involvement of further clinicians.

This project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the dementia crisis service in reducing admissions to mental health wards.

The pilot for the service began in January 2023. We looked at the number of admissions to Heather ward, an older adult mental health ward in Canterbury, East Kent (the base of the team) over a 5 month period, between August 2023 – January 2024. We compared this to admission numbers a year ago. We looked at what proportion of patients were admitted with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD), over the same time period to evaluate whether the number of BPSD admissions has changed since the existence of the team.

The number of overall admissions to Heather ward decreased from 43 to 32. The number of detained patients remained the same, 13 patients over the 5 month period. Looking more closely at the nature of some of the hospital admissions, a referral was not made to the crisis service for some of the admitted patients.

The team have been providing this service for just over a year, including the three month pilot. The limited data does not show enough evidence that the crisis service reduces rates of hospital admission. As this is a new service, there is much work to be done to increase the profile of the team. We would like to re-evaluate the admission data after more information has been disseminated to referrers about the service and the support they offer.

There is an emerging evidence base to support the benefit of naltrexone prescription in methamphetamine dependence. This audit assesses prescribing practice and benefit of naltrexone in a specialist NHS drug service based in West London. The process for initiation and monitoring of naltrexone in the service was compared with best practice recommendations.

A patient with methamphetamine dependence can be referred to a psychiatrist in order to consider naltrexone treatment. Naltrexone works by reducing cravings, thereby assisting with abstinence. Liver function is checked and then naltrexone is made available by an FP10 prescription. Follow up is then conducted in order to ascertain whether a continuation of naltrexone is indicated.

Patients prescribed naltrexone were identified using a hand-written prescription record. Each case file was audited for prescribing metrics, substance misuse pattern, diagnoses, past treatments, efficacy, tolerability and length of prescription. Information was manually collected from the SystmOne case notes and anonymously entered into a spreadsheet under headed topics.

Data was collected from 1st April 2019 to 1st June 2023 which identified 28 patients. All patients had keyworker involvement and physical health checks. GHB/GBL was the most common comorbid substance. 18 of the 28 patients took naltrexone for longer than one week. 16 reported benefit with cravings. 6 were abstinent from methamphetamine and 10 were seen to have a partial response (periods of abstinence/lessened use). 9 of the 18 patients reported one or more side effects, most commonly nausea.

The service meets best practice guidelines with regards to keyworker involvement, physical checks and follow-up reviews. Improvements could be made with regards to accurate diagnostic coding. Given the prevalence of side effects, it would be important to discuss options to mitigate these, as well as the importance of continuation of naltrexone (if tolerated) for at least four weeks. The offer of written information should be recorded. The tolerability and efficacy of naltrexone is in keeping with data from randomised controlled trials, which helps to inform patients and clinicians that naltrexone is an effective, safe treatment for methamphetamine dependence.

The Acute Mental Health Inpatient Centre is an 80 bed acute psychiatric inpatient unit in Belfast. The inpatient unit is frequently over capacity resulting in the use of contingency beds or delays in accessing acute inpatient care. Readmissions to hospital after discharge remain a challenge for the service. A service evaluation project was designed to quantify the number of patients being readmitted and determine demographic and diagnostic variables associated with risk of readmission.

1084 sequential discharges were examined between Jan 2022 and Feb 2023. Age, gender and length of stay (LOS) were determined.

For each case it was determined whether or not the case was a readmission, defined as having been discharged within the previous three months.

Diagnosis was available on 1017 (94%) cases and was categorized as schizophrenia/non-affective psychosis, bipolar affective disorder, non-psychotic mental illness, personality disorder, adjustment disorder, substance misuse disorder and dementia/cognitive impairment.

Social deprivation status was determined for each case based on the address of admission and using social deprivation data from the Northern Ireland census, 2017.

Outcome of discharge was readmission at one week, one month and three months.

For the entire cohort, readmission rates at one week, one month and three months were 5.1%, 13.6% and 20.7% respectively.

Risk of readmission was significantly increased in cases with a diagnosis of personality disorder, a LOS under two weeks and female gender.

Individuals who had been readmitted to hospital within three months of the index admission were significantly more likely to be readmitted in the subsequent three months.

Data on social deprivation is currently undergoing analysis and will be available in due course.

Logistic regression was performed to determine how the variables impacted on risk of readmission at 3 months. In the final model, diagnosis of personality disorder (OR 3.1; 95% CI 2.0, 4.7; p < 0.001), diagnosis of schizophrenia (OR 1.8; 95% CI 1.1, 2.7; p < 0.01), the admission being a readmission (OR 3.4; 95% CI 2.4, 5.0; p < 0.001), a LOS less than 2 weeks (OR 1.9; 95% CI 1.3, 2.7; p < 0.001) and female gender (OR 1.7; 95% CI 1.2, 2.4; p < 0.01) all predicted readmission within three months.

The service evaluation project has allowed individuals at a higher risk of readmission to be identified. This study has informed local strategies now being implemented to target community care and provide timely interventions to those groups at highest risk of readmission.

To identify if patients discharged from an older adult psychiatric ward were followed up in line with national recommended guidelines. Current National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommend follow up and final discharge letters (FDLs) being available within 7 days of discharge.

A record search was conducted to identify all patients discharged from one ward during a one year period.

Each patient's notes were reviewed to identify what follow up they had in place and how long it took for this to be implemented. We also examined the time taken for a final discharge letter (FDL) to be made available to their General Practitioner (GP).

We identified 99 patients who were discharged from the ward within the specified period.

The mean time taken for patients to be followed up after discharge was 9.72 days. In 63.16% of cases this follow up was provided by Community Psychiatric Nurses (CPNs), with 51.58% being reviewed in medical clinic. A further 9.47% had their initial follow up with an occupational therapist, 4.21% with a psychologist, 4.21% with the addictions team, 4.21% with care home liaison, 2.11% with social work, 2.11% with continuing care and 1.05% with rehab.

FDLs were sent to GPs, on average, 13.6 days after patients were discharged.

Within our data set a few outlier values markedly increased the mean for both outcomes. Using median figures, average follow up time fell to 6 days, meeting national guidelines, and FDL time fell to 8 days, exceeding recommendations by just 1 day.

Within our department, measures have since been put in place to ensure secretaries are reminding medical staff of the recommended time frames for final discharge letters and it should be noted that an immediate discharge letter (IDL) is routinely sent to GPs containing key clinical information prior to patients being discharged.

The results show that our current practice does fall somewhat short of matching national guidelines and further work should be done to investigate how we can improve standards.

While dopamine antagonists are an effective treatment for positive psychotic symptoms, they are rarely effective when it comes to treating the cognitive (memory, learning, planning, etc.) and negative (avolition and social withdrawal) symptoms of the disorder. Furthermore, for a sizeable proportion, standard dopamine antagonists are not effective for positive symptoms either. As such, refractory symptoms are a major burden for patients, carers, and clinical services.

To address this, The TUNE-UP (Treating Unmet Needs in Psychiatry) clinic in Oxford was established in September 2023 as an innovative solution aiming to: (A) Undertake an in-depth assessment of cognitive, negative, and positive symptoms; (B) Identify potentially modifiable causative factors contributing to refractory symptoms (e.g., cholinergic burden, sleep disturbances, physical comorbidities, affective symptoms); and (C) Implement management plans including community clozapine initiation where appropriate. We have analysed data from the clinic's initial five months of operation to establish a baseline understanding of our patient population and identify trends in symptoms.

In the first five months of operations, 21 referrals were accepted comprising 80.9% males (mean age 43.3 years, SD 13.7). 3 were referred for cognitive symptoms, 1 for negative and cognitive symptoms, 11 for positive symptoms, 3 for medication optimisation, and 3 for clozapine re-titration. Of those fully assessed (N = 17), mean total symptom scores measured using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were of mild/moderate severity (70.5, SD 18.4). Objective cognitive testing via the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP) demonstrated a total mean score of 54.1 (SD 12.1), markedly below what would be expected in a matched control population (76.3). Cognitive scores were lower in those of older age (r = −0.62, p = 0.01). Subjective experience of cognitive impairment was measured using the Subjective Scale to Investigate Cognition in Schizophrenia, poor subjective cognition was associated with more severe negative symptoms (r = 0.57, p = 0.03), but not objective SCIP results (r = 0.12, p = 0.85).

Refractory positive symptoms remain a priority for clinicians, but cognitive and negative symptoms are highly prevalent reinforcing the need for a comprehensive approach. Routine structured assessment of all symptom domains is feasible in clinical practice. Future work should examine the longitudinal impact of various interventions on different symptom domains.

Mental Health Trusts have seen significant funding cuts in recent years resulting in higher admissions to acute medical hospitals due to psychiatric disorders. Little information is available on the quantity of such presentations and no studies have explored how confident acute medical doctors feel in managing patients with mental health disorders.

Primary objective: To evaluate whether acute medical doctors feel confident in the common psychiatry topics required to manage patients presenting to medical hospitals with mental health disturbances.

Secondary objective: To determine how frequently patients with mental health disorders are admitted to medical beds, either primarily due to their psychiatric disorder or due to another medical problem.

Acute medical doctors working in Merseyside, UK completed a self-report survey in which they rated their confidence level in relation to common psychiatric topics. Admission data for 4 large hospitals in Merseyside were analysed to determine the proportion of all patients admitted to medicine in a 1-year period who had a mental health disorder. Results were further broken down into primary diagnosis by ICD–11 code to determine which mental health conditions presented most frequently to general medical hospitals.

10 acute medical registrars and 33 acute medical consultants completed the survey. Most acute medical doctors felt at least partly confident in their psychiatry knowledge. However, around a quarter of doctors lacked confidence in managing psychotropic medications and performing risk assessments, with a third of acute doctors unsure how to access specialist psychiatric advice.

43.8% of all medical admissions had a mental health disorder. This was comprised of 3.1% who presented primarily due to a mental health illness, and 40.7% who had a mental health disorder but attended for a different reason. Substance misuse accounted for a significant proportion of these admissions.

Despite almost half of patients admitted to medical beds experiencing mental illness, many acute medical doctors lack confidence managing psychiatric ailments and half of the respondents felt their medical training has not prepared them sufficiently.

In addition, many doctors are unsure how to access specialist advice when needed. This leaves both doctors and patients at risk of harm and suggests a need for additional psychiatric training for acute medical doctors and improved access to support.

A patient feedback survey was designed based on Memory Service National Accreditation standards. The aim was to measure if the Bromsgrove Memory Clinic was meeting these standards and to show if a patient survey could be obtained in a group with cognitive issues.

The 18-question survey was offered to patients referred by General Practitioners for memory assessment. The survey was designed with cognitive difficulties in mind and could be filled out jointly by patients and their accompanying person. Answers were collected using Likert scale format. 23 completed surveys were collected. Large font and facial expression diagrams were used to aid the participants. Surveys were collected during outpatient/home visits by clinicians (doctors/nurses) trained in memory assessment.

From the first question, 12/23 strongly agreed they received enough information prior to the appointment to feel well prepared about what to expect, 9 chose agreed and 2 gave neutral answers. The second question asked how long they waited to receive an appointment, 13 were seen within 6 weeks or less from point of referral, 7 waited between 6-weeks and 3-months. 16 participants strongly agreed to feeling happy with appointment date/time. 17 strongly agreed the clinic was easy to locate.

Next, 13/23 strongly agreed, 8 agreed, 1 was neutral that they felt confident the clinic would be able to meet their needs and 1 disagreed. Question seven asked “did staff explain the assessment process to you?” and 20/23 strongly agreed. Question eight asked if participants were given opportunity to ask questions, 22/23 strongly agreed. 21/23 strongly agreed enough time was given to discussing important information. 17/23 strongly agreed they knew they could stop the assessment at any point. 22/23 strongly agreed their privacy was respected.

Questions 12–14 looked at information given, and they could class it as “Not enough, Right amount, Too much or Not applicable”. 19/23 indicated “right amount” for information given about diagnosis. 21/23 felt information about investigations or tests was the right amount. Regarding information about medications, 20 selected “the right amount”.

18 strongly agreed the information, advice and support was helpful and sufficient. 19 strongly agreed they were treated with respect and dignity. 20 strongly agreed they wouldn't hesitate to recommend the service to others.

The results showed an overwhelmingly positive memory service experience in Bromsgrove and it is possible to meaningfully survey this patient group with some adjustments. The survey could be repeated to monitor standards over time.

Up to 75% of dementia patients will experience behavioural (non-cognitive) symptoms in their lifetime. Therefore, it is important to ensure delivery of high level of quality care to these set of patients.

The NICE guideline recommends that:

1. 1. Non-pharmacological method should be used before pharmacological method in the management of behavioural symptoms.

2. 2. When antipsychotics are used, they should be started at low dose and increased slowly.

3. 3. Those started on antipsychotics should have follow up at least 6 weeks after commencement.

Aim: The audit aims to compare the care we give dementia patients with behavioural symptoms against the NICE guideline.

The objectives are:

1. 1. To assess use of non-pharmacological method before pharmacological method in the management of behavioural symptom in dementia patients.

2. 2. To assess antipsychotic prescriptions in the management of behavioural symptoms in dementia patients.

3. 3. To assess if patients started on antipsychotics were properly followed up.

Electronic records of 34 patients who met the inclusion criteria were assessed and information related to the objectives were extracted. Data was stored securely in the trust laptop. Analysis of the information was done using Microsoft Excel version 2022. Results were presented in charts.

The result showed that the commonest behavioural symptoms reported was agitation and verbal aggression which accounted for 34% and 29% respectively. About 24% of the patient were commenced on medication for their symptoms without trial of non-pharmacological methods. Out of the patient that were on medications, risperidone was the commonest medication prescribed accounting for 37%. Other medications prescribed included quetiapine, amisulpride and lorazepam. The result also showed that those started on medication were properly followed up according to the NICE guideline.

The audit showed that the NICE guideline is not fully followed, adherence to the guideline is around 75% overall. Efforts should be geared toward enlightening professionals about the need to follow the NICE guideline in managing this condition. It would be worthwhile to re-audit in 12 to 24 months.

Pro re Nata (PRN) psychotropic medication prescription and administration play a crucial role in addressing patients’ immediate needs and medical care plans in acute mental health services. However, regarding the appropriate indication, use, and documentation of PRN medication prescription, review, and administration practices should be as per NICE guidelines to ensure patient safety and care quality.

This audit will encompass an evaluation of PRN medication prescription in acute inpatient psychiatry as per NICE guidelines and a reaudit after recommendations implementation.

We made 8 sets of questionnaires based on The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommendation for PRN prescription as per local trust policy. We collected data from 28 patients in the acute inpatient mental health unit for the first cycle. Data was collected from patients' records which included medicine charts, progress notes, and MDT reviews. We analyzed data from the first cycle and implemented changes in Clinical practice. This includes including these guidelines in junior doctor induction, weekly discussion with team pharmacist, adding prompts in medication chart, and weekly review of PRN medication in ward MDT. After 2 months we collected data of 25 patients for reaudit.

We analyzed first-cycle data, which required improvement as per AUDIT standard compliance. We implemented recommendations before reaudit. We found there were significant improvements in some areas of concern, although this was not 100 percent audit standard. This area includes a review of PRN medication prescriptions in the last 7 days (25 percent in the first cycle, 56 percent in reaudit), grouping them if both oral and intramuscular formulations were prescribed to avoid overdose (7.2 percent, 28 percent), documentation of minimum (10.7 percent, 24 percent) and maximum dose (100 percent, 100 percent) of PRN within 24 hours, documentation of indication (100 percent, 96 percent).

The findings of this audit and recommendations after the first cycle of audit contribute to enhancing quality of PRN medication prescription practice in acute inpatient mental health services for health care professionals. Addressing potential areas of prescription, administration, and review and providing valuable recommendations and insight for improvement of patient safety and best clinical practice.

• • To find out discrepancies around community treatment order section paperwork and renewal hearings.

• • Explore if CTO is helpful in delaying relapse of mental illness.

All inpatients from general adult male and female wards in the North East Essex area in the last 3–5 years who were detained under section 3 of the Mental Health Act and were discharged on a Community treatment order were included. All included patients were followed up for a period of two years and data was reviewed to know if the standard guidelines regarding the CTO paperwork completion and renewal hearings were followed.

Data about episodes of further recalls to hospital, further revocation or discharges on CTO during that two year period for these patients is included.

Information about the timely filling of the CTO forms and uploading on the system upon readmission is explored wherever applicable.

Finally, the time duration between discharges and each readmission is explored.

Total no. of patients: 13, Male: 10, Female: 3

Out of the 13 patients,

One had 4 readmissions in the consequent two year period (Days since last discharge – 158, 80, 14, 365 days), duration of each admission: (39, 9, 71, 53) days.

Two had 2 readmissions (on days 623 and 80: On day 65 and 9), Duration of each stay (6 and 90 days; 80 and 164 days).

Four patients had 1 readmission (on days 683, 133, 30, 723) and duration of stay is (14, 33, 1510 and 1460 days).

Six patients never had any admission.

As for the tribunal hearing, one patient's tribunal hearing was missed, one of them did not attend, one had his CTO rescinded and one was admitted soon after. Rest of the patients had their regular timely hearings and were regularly reviewed in the community.

Out of 13, only 3 patients had appealed against the CTO, had tribunal hearing.

Out of 13 patients, only one patient had his CTO lapsed and he had two readmissions during the 2 years follow up.

Delay in admission following recall was due to section 135 being issued.

CTO3 paperwork was missing in two cases.

A second CTO3 or recall notice was issued in 4 cases, in 1 case, reason was not documented, in 2 cases, patient agreed for informal stay but later did not comply with care plan. In one case, reason was not documented.

CTO paperwork are missed in rare cases and could be avoided by reminders from Mental Health Act Office.

CTO renewal hearings take place regularly as per mental health act guidelines, though in rare cases, meeting is missed. This could be avoided by having patients discharged on CTO to be booked for timely reviews beforehand.

The audit is too small and is inconclusive to indicate if CTOs prevent readmissions and relapses and hence future study with more sample size is called for.

This audit aimed to investigate how VTE risk assessments on one of our older adult inpatient units meet to the recommended standard by:

1. 1. Assessing the compliance of admissions to the trust VTE policy, which is based on the corresponding National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guideline.

2. 2. Determining if VTE assessments were performed using appropriate clinical tools, as recommended in the policy, and correctly recorded in patient notes.

All admissions to the ward (n = 77) within the one year from 01.06.2021 to 31.05.2022 were retrospectively reviewed for VTE assessments based on the abovementioned standards. Data was extracted from progress notes and ward round entries for completion of the VTE assessment during admission, documentation of the assessment tool, documentation of the VTE prophylaxis prescription if indicated, and reassessment of risks during admission.

This audit showed that only 3% of patients had a VTE assessment documented within the first 24 hours of admission. Overall, over a 10th of all patients never had an assessment, and of those who did, no one had the assessment tool used documented or uploaded on their clinical records. Also, of those who had a VTE assessment done, 5% were assessed to be at risk, and of these, only half had VTE prophylaxis prescribed.

This audit showed the ward is essentially not meeting the standard for VTE risk assessment, with recommendations to incorporate VTE assessment as part of the clerking proforma and the medication charts, similar to the usual practice on physical health wards.

The study aimed to assess staff understanding of the discharge process in an Elmdale ward, Halifax and improve the promptness of discharge reports to other primary care professionals.

Initially, the discharge process was reviewed in March 2023 to establish a baseline, focusing on completion time and personnel involved in the process. An online survey was conducted using Survey Monkey with 20 responses from the staff, including nurses, pharmacists, and doctors, to gather insights into their comprehension of the discharge process.

Electronic data for EPMA (electronic prescribing and medication administration) discharge form from SystmOne was analyzed to determine the percentage of completed discharge summaries and identify any incomplete or absent summaries among patients discharged from Elmdale ward (an acute inpatient ward) between March 1st and March 31st, 2023.

The data showed that 76.9% of discharges were completed within 24 hours, with weekend discharge completion at 4 and only 25% after 5 pm. Half of the discharge summaries were closed by nurses, 46% by doctors, and one by the ward clerk.

The median time taken to complete the discharge process was 25.83 hours, slightly exceeding the 24-hour target. Survey results indicated that 60% of staff were aware of the 24-hour timeline, but there were gaps in communication between staff members. Additionally, only 40% of staff had received formal EPMA discharge summary training, with nursing staff being the majority.

Eighty percent of survey respondents expressed challenges with the discharge summary process, particularly regarding communication with the pharmacy team and closing the discharge summary. Weekend discharge data revealed gaps in responsibilities when the ward clerk was unavailable to send letters.

Overall, the findings suggest a need for improved communication and training to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the discharge process, ensuring timely and accurate transmission of discharge reports to primary care physicians and other professionals.

More than half of the staff understood the discharge process however communication between staff in regard to the discharge process impacted on the timeliness of the summaries completed.

This audit focuses on assessing the compliance of health professionals with the UK law by informing the drivers with dementia about their legal requirement to report their condition to the DVLA and their insurance companies. The aim of this audit is to ensure public safety by adhering to the General Medical Council (GMC) guidance; “Confidentiality: patients’ fitness to drive and reporting concerns to the DVLA or DVA”, as well as the Driving with Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment Consensus Guidelines for Clinicians; endorsed by RCPsych and Alzheimer's Society. This will help ensure public safety and prevent potential accidents or incidents caused by impaired driving.

The audit reviewed retrospective data of 40 patients selected randomly (17 males, 23 females and mean age 78 years old), referred to the memory clinic at Watermill Resource Centre in Berrywood Hospital, Northampton. The inclusion criteria was patients referred between 1st January and 31st December 2022 that were diagnosed with dementia. We set a compliance target of 100%.

The results showed that out of the 40 patients diagnosed with dementia, 23 had a recorded risk assessment. 11 patients were driving at the time of assessment. 7 patients were referred to occupational therapy for a driving assessment. The compliance in informing patients about reporting to the DVLA and their insurance companies was low. 8 out of 11 (73%) patients were informed about reporting to the DVLA, and 5 out of 11 (45%) were informed about contacting their insurance company. Additionally, only 4 out of 11 (36%) patients were informed about the consequences of not reporting to the DVLA and their insurer. There was also a lack of systematic documentation regarding driving risk assessment. There was no record of medics contacting the DVLA.

Overall, the audit revealed a need for improvement in compliance and documentation. It is recommended that health professionals strictly adhere to their responsibilities in risk assessment and informing drivers with dementia about their legal requirements regarding informing DVLA and insurance companies. Clear documentation should be made using a standard template available.

The use of psychotropics and polypharmacy among patients with learning disability have been widely discussed. Mental illness increases morbidity and mortality and the addition of polypharmacy potentiates these risks.

It is important to determine the proportion of inpatients with psychotropic polypharmacy, highlight associated socio-demographic and clinical factors, and follow up plans for such patients at the point of discharge.

A retrospective collection of data was completed using electronic records of patients 18 years and above who were discharged from inpatient psychiatric wards located in East Suffolk between 1st July and 31st December 2021.

Data available in discharge medication letters, discharge summaries and inpatient clinical notes were also used in the study.

Amongst 256 inpatient episodes included within the audit, polypharmacy was found in 52% cases.

Of which 80% of patients were above 65 yrs and 56.3% of them were male.

Out of the included episodes, 74% were on combination and 26% were on augmentation therapy.

About 40% had a single diagnosis of schizophrenia/schizophrenia-like delusional disorders, while around 25% had a mood disorder.

9% of episodes had a singular diagnosis of personality disorder and 8.4% of episodes had >1 psychiatric diagnosis.

Despite the increased side effect burden and risks in the presence of physical health co-morbidities, polypharmacy remained prevalent in this group of inpatients.

More than a quarter of patients were on sedative augmentation without any clear plan or recommendation for deprescribing after discharge.

In order to improve clinical practice, more frequent medication reviews should be recommended when there is high prevalence of psychotropic polypharmacy.

High doses of antipsychotic therapy (HDAT) are often prescribed in secondary mental health services and has been the subject of many audits and service improvements. This interest is largely due to the increased morbidity and mortality related to HDAT, and strong advocacy for clear rationales to guide this decision. There is a need for continuous review and monitoring to prevent unnecessary prescribing.

Our audit was used to determine the prevalence of HDAT in East Suffolk inpatient settings and assess whether review planning and monitoring of HDAT was practiced.

Standards for antipsychotic dosage were established using British National Formulary and Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines for Psychiatry.

Retrospective data was collected using electronic records of patients 18 years and above who were discharged from inpatient psychiatric wards located in East Suffolk between 1st July and 31st December 2021.

Data available included discharge medication letters, discharge summaries and inpatient clinical notes.

A total of 256 patients were discharged from East Suffolk wards in the 6-month period between 1st July and 31st December 2021.

Majority of the patients (80%) were above 65 years of age with more than half of patients being male 114 (56.3%).

Ninety-seven (37.9%) patients had a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like and delusional disorders, while approximately 25% of the audited population had a mood disorder.

9% had a singular diagnosis of personality disorder.

One hundred and sixty-six (64.6%) patients were on antipsychotic medications and two (1.2%) patients were discharged on HDAT.

High dose antipsychotic prescribing was not as prevalent as initially assumed. This audit noted only one of the two patients on HDAT did not have the appropriate monitoring form completed.

Good clinical practice recommends the need for the completion of a high dose antipsychotic therapy (HDAT) form for each patient, which would allow proper monitoring.

The aim of the audit was to assess compliance with prescribing standards for antipsychotics in patients with BPSD as outlined within NICE guidance and with trust policy, Physical Health Monitoring of Patients Prescribed Antipsychotics.

The Bannerjee report published in 2009 highlighted the problem of inappropriate use of antipsychotic medication in the treatment of patients with behavioral & psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD).

When antipsychotic use is considered appropriate, good practice is imperative to minimize risk and ensure optimal outcomes for patients. This audit looked to assess whether the use of antipsychotics in patients within CTT with a diagnosis of dementia adhered to best practice standards as outlined by the Bannerjee report and NICE guideline. The audit looked to assess adherence to physical health monitoring requirements as per trust policy for patients prescribed antipsychotics. Currently, there is limited guidance around monitoring of antipsychotics for use in BPSD as they are not licensed in the longer term.

A retrospective audit was undertaken for patients under the care of CTT between September 2020 and September 2021. 49 patients were prescribed an antipsychotic for BPSD.

Within the sample, 84% of patients were prescribed an antipsychotic at 12 months, 94% at 6 months and 98% at 3 months.

Compliance with the Audit standards showed: 82% of the patients had capacity assessed and documented prior to initiation of an antipsychotic.

98% of patients and/or carers had adverse effects of antipsychotics reviewed.

The risks and benefits of antipsychotics are discussed with the patient and/or carer(s) prior to antipsychotic initiation (94%). In 92% of patients, non-pharmacological interventions are tried prior to initiation of an antipsychotic. Clinical indications (target symptoms) are clearly documented (100%).

Although good prescribing practice was demonstrated, there was an area of concern due to a lack of compliance with physical health monitoring requirements. Most patients were prescribed an antipsychotic for longer than the licensed treatment period.

Agreed Actions:

Discussion with all professionals to emphasise the necessity for effective communication and a documented care plan for antipsychotic monitoring and review.

Present and disseminate audit findings within locality groups and wider teams.

All patients who are prescribed antipsychotic medications require annual blood tests which must include Full Blood Count (FBC), Urea and Electrolytes (U&E), eGFR, Lipids (Cholesterol & Triglycerides), Liver Function Test (LFT), HbA1c/Plasma glucose. Some patients also require prolactin blood test depending on their prescribed antipsychotic medication.

NICE and Maudsley guidelines recommend an annual check of the blood tests mentioned above.

This audit ascertained compliance in terms of annual blood test monitoring for patients who take antipsychotic medications and provided recommendations to improve where necessary.

Half of the caseload from two General Adult psychiatry Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT) were recruited from a sample population of 228 patients. Odd number randomisation was applied to select our sample (e.g., 1, 3, 5…). Sample size was of 114 patients, 8 of whom were not prescribed antipsychotic medications and excluded. Hence, 106 patients were identified as representative for inclusion in this audit.

Retrospective data collection was from clinical entries, clinic letters and blood test results.

Data obtained from these patients was collated and analysed using MS Excel spreadsheet.

The audit revealed that compliance was suboptimal for all required blood tests (Compliance 80% or above is recommended). The kidney function test of Urea & Electrolytes was the closest to recommended standards and best performance overall (77%), eGFR, was subpar at 60%. 74% of patients had the glucose monitoring tests (Plasma glucose/HbA1c) done while Full Blood Count and Liver Function Test were both completed in 76 patients (~72%). The worst performing category was Prolactin monitoring, of which only 9 of patients who required this had it done, recording a mere 31%.

Majority (66%) of the blood tests were done at General Practice (GP) surgeries, 25% by Mental Health Services, while the rest were contributed to by Accident & Emergency and Acute Hospital visits.

Following completion of this audit, recommendations were made to advise existing antipsychotic blood monitoring services (GP surgeries and private clinic affiliated with the Trust) of the recommended blood parameters for monitoring, and the need to update current systems. Also, Liaison with service managers and service leads to set up a dedicated physical health clinic for this purpose. The latter has been particularly successful as the Trust is now in the process of recruitment for the new physical health clinic team. A re-audit is planned in the near future.

Acutely ill patients on PICU are likely to be on High dose antipsychotic treatment (HDAT), which poses a risk to their physical health. Current guidelines require that appropriate criteria be met before prescription, and close physical health monitoring after prescription of HDAT. This audit aims to assess practices regarding prescription of HDAT to patients on PICU, Mill View Hospital, Hove according to standard guidelines.

Ten of the 38 patients admitted to PICU at Mill View Hospital between January and June 2023 were on HDAT and thus were eligible for this audit. The revised prescribing observatory for mental health topic 1h 3e audit tool was used to collect data regarding the patients. Data was collected from the clinical records including electronic, paper notes and uploaded drug charts and forms.

The age range was between 21–56 with an average age of 35. Eight of the 10 patients were white British, 2 were of another ethnic group or ethnicity unknown. All the 10 patients had clinical reasons for HDAT prescription clearly documented at the start of the treatment which ranged from cross titration of antipsychotics to treatment resistance to standard treatments.

Of the 10 patients on HDAT, 6 of them had documented clinical review in the 3 months, 1 had documented clinical review in last 3 to 6 months, 3 had no clearly documented review of clinical response in the last year.

Only 7 out of 10 had their temperature, pulse, blood pressure, body mass index and electrocardiogram (ECG) clearly documented. Seven of the 10 patients had their full blood count, urea and electrolytes, liver function tests, blood glucose, plasma lipid tests done and clearly documented in last year. Eight of the 10 patients had their serum prolactin checked while none of the patients had their creatinine phosphokinase checked and clearly documented in the last year. Only 2 of the patients had clearly documented examination of extrapyramidal side effects (EPSE) in the last one year.

This audit demonstrates that although clinical reasons for HDAT prescription were documented for all patients, current standard guidelines for HDAT prescription regarding regular review and physical health monitoring were either not being met, or not clearly documented.