Date
28 February 2024Location
Online via WebEx at 12:30-14:00About the event
This interactive session was part of the ‘Medication Safety Across the System’ (MSATS) series aimed at healthcare professionals, working in any sector with a role or passion for medication safety and/or involved in medicines use.
Our speakers shared innovative practices addressing safe use of valproate to inspire and equip the audience ready for translation and replication across systems.
Why it’s important
Due to the known significant risk of serious harm to a baby after exposure to valproate in pregnancy new regulatory measures aim to ensure safer use of valproate. Implementation of these new regulatory measures require a collaborative and system wide approach to ensure safe and sustainable safety improvements.
What was covered
- A discussion of the new regulations related to valproate use and the implications for the system.
- Identification of challenges with implementation of new regulations within existing clinical pathways, and discussion of potential innovate solutions.
- ‘Lived experience’ was shared to understand the impact of these new regulations for individuals.
- Shared exemplar practices where valproate safety has been reviewed in light of the new regulations, to enable reflection of local practice and consideration for implementation at a local and system level.
Learning outcomes:
- Articulate key current challenges related to valproate safety.
- Use information shared to assess working practices and patient pathways, at both a local and system level to understand challenges of implementing new regulations.
- Reflect on examples shared and identify actions or responses to recommend locally, in order to improve safe practice.
- Take opportunities to network with peers to inform the development of appropriate local and system wide responses to valproate safety.
Speakers
A range of speakers from SPS and other organisations helped run this event.
Non-SPS Speakers
Dr Henrietta Hughes OBE
Patient Safety Commissioner
Tony Jamieson
Medicines Safety Improvement Programme Lead NHS England
Helena Gregory
Head of Pharmacy and Medicines – Medicines Safety Lead, NICE Medicines and Prescribing Associate
Dr Rhys Thomas
Honorary Consultant in Epilepsy, NUTH; Reader in Epilepsy, Newcastle University
Emma Murphy
Co-founder of IN-FACT (Independent Fetal Anti Convulsant Trust)
Janet Williams MBE
Co-founder of IN-FACT (Independent Fetal Anti Convulsant Trust)
Leigh Henderson
Head of Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Cognition and Mental Health, MHRA
Kim Morley
Advanced Clinical Practitioner and Epilepsy Specialist Nurse/Midwife, Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust
Sarah Belcher
Clinical Lead Pharmacist at Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership
Tara Gallagher
Network Director of Pharmacy, Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust and Chair of the Lancashire & South Cumbria Valproate Steering Group
Siobhan Gee
Consultant Pharmacist and Deputy Director of Pharmacy at South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
SPS Speakers
Learn more about SPS team member who are speaking.
Resources
Information presented in these resources is correct at time of recording. Current guidance should be followed.
Recordings
Webinar recording
Pre-event case study: An ICB investigation into a pregnancy while a woman was on valproate
Safe prescribing of valproate in mental health services
A system approach to the safe use of valproate
Tara Gallagher, Network Director of Pharmacy, Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust and Chair of the Lancashire & South Cumbria Valproate Steering Group shares her reflections and insights into improving valproate safety at her local and system level. She discusses some of the challenges they faced and how they have tried to overcome them to give viewers ideas to consider which may be applicable to their own systems.
Patient voice recordings
Hear from our lived experience volunteers as to why it is essential that their voice is heard and is central to any system wide discussions about valproate safety.
Janet & Emma
Podcasts
Safe use of valproate in acute district general hospitals
Emma Kirk chats with Kylie Williams, Highly Specialist pharmacist Medicines Safety at Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Emma Hall, Lead Technician Medicines Safety at Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust about the impact of the regulations at acute district general hospitals. They discuss the challenges and some of the solutions they have implemented to ensure that they support the safe use of valproate for their patients.
Learning and intellectual disabilities and valproate safety
Anna Bischler talks to Professor Lance Watkins and Dr Maria Vincent in a discussion highlighting the importance of considering those with learning and intellectual disabilities when implementing changes in practice related to valproate prescribing. Lance and Maria explore the potential impact on the system and suggest considerations to promote an equitable and safe journey for the valproate patient with learning and intellectual disabilities.
Full pack dispensing of valproate
Emma Kirk chats with Siobhan Gee, Consultant Pharmacist and Deputy Director of Pharmacy at South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust about the challenges and the opportunities of the mandated full pack dispensing of valproate.
Presentation resources
Slides from the presentation are now available below.
Contact
Please contact the Admin Team if you have any questions.