The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) is “determined to play its part” in combating the overprescribing of psychiatric drugs to people with learning disabilities.

The RPS was “deeply concerned” by a report by Public Health England that estimated up to 35,000 adults with learning difficulties or autism were prescribed an antipsychotic or antidepressant between 2009 and 2012 without “appropriate clinical justification”.

Pharmacists could “play a much bigger role” in improving care for patients with learning disabilities by delivering “person-centred medicines reviews” and working alongside patients and their carers, RPS English Pharmacy Board chair Sandra Gidley said on Wednesday (July 16).

Patients should not take medicines without “clear, documented and reasoned explanations for their continued use”, Ms Gidley stressed. The current system “fails to deliver this fundamental standard of care”, said Ms Gidley, who called for “urgent reform”.

NHS England promised “rapid and sustained action” to tackle the problem and the RPS told C+D that Ms Gidley and former RPS English Pharmacy Board chair David Branford were attending an “urgent summit” held by the commissioning body today (July 17) to create a plan to tackle the problem.
 

“No justification for overprescribing”

NHS England said the report from Public Health England was one of three documents it had received from healthcare bodies that found there was a “much higher rate of prescribing of medicines associated with mental illness among people with learning disabilities”.

In the “majority” of cases, there was “no clear justification” for this overprescribing, it stressed.

The research, commissioned by NHS England and carried out by Public Health England, the Care Quality Commission and NHS Improving Quality, also found that medicines were often used for long periods “without adequate review”. There was often poor communication between parents and carers, as well as between healthcare providers, it concluded.

NHS England said it was considering issuing a patient safety alert to ensure health professionals were aware of its concerns, and had published guidance on its website for concerned patients and family members.

Ms Gidley added that individuals who were concerned about a current prescription should not stop taking their medication immediately, but should see their pharmacist, doctor or supervising clinician as soon as possible.
 

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