Overview of POMH-UK
The national Prescribing
Observatory for Mental Health (POMH-UK) was launched in
2005 and its aim is to help specialist mental health services
improve prescribing practice. POMH-UK was partly funded by a
tapering grant from an independent charity, the Health Foundation under its
‘Engaging with Quality’ initiative, and partly from subscriptions
from member Trusts. Neither POMH-UK nor the Health Foundation has
any links with the pharmaceutical industry.
So far, more than 55 mental
health Trusts have participated in POMH quality improvement
programmes. Most such programmes comprise a cycle of clinical audit
against evidence-based standards and bespoke change interventions,
including prompt feedback of benchmarked data that allow
Trusts to compare their prescribing practice with other
participating Trusts.
Participation in POMH-UK
Topics can help your Trust achieve several of the Care
Quality Commission (CQC)
core standards for mental health and
learning disability Trusts. The findings will also
provide evidence relevant to local implementation of NICE
guidelines and may inform your Trust
Quality Account.
Key areas of the website (see below
or the menu on the left for more areas)
Further POMH-UK information
for service users and carers
POMH-UK Members Area: information and
resources for current member
Trusts. You will need to know
your user name and password. Please
contact us if you have any queries about
accessing or using this site.
POMH-data: Securely submit audit data and
questionnaire responses here. You will need to know your user name
and password. Please
contact us if you have any queries about
accessing or using this site.
Lithium Alert support pack
Safer lithium therapy: the National
Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has issued an alert for all healthcare
organisations in the NHS where lithium therapy is initiated,
prescribed, dispensed or monitored.
POMH-UK has been working in
collaboration with NPSA and the National Pharmacy Association (NPA)
to develop a patient information booklet, lithium alert card
and record book for tracking blood test
results.
POMH-UK Topics
Five POMH Topics have been
completed:
Topic 1: High dose and combined antipsychotics
in acute adult inpatient settings
The complete programme has been reported in: Paton C et al.
British Journal of Psychiatry 2008; 192:435-439
Topic 2: Screening for the metabolic syndrome
in community patients receiving antipsychotics.
Baseline data have been reported in Barnes TRE
et al. Schizophrenia Bulletin 2007;33(6):1397-1403
The complete programme has been reported in: Barnes TRE et al.
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica 2008; 118: 26-33
Topic 3: Prescribing of high dose
and combined antipsychotics for patients on forensic wards
Topic 4: Benchmarking prescribing of
anti-dementia drugs.
Topic 5a: Benchmarking the
prescribing of high dose and combination antipsychotics on adult
acute and PICU wards (time-series benchmarking)
Topic 5b: Continued
benchmarking as Topic 5a, using time-series charts
POMH Topics currently being
undertaken:
Topic 5c: Continued benchmarking as Topic 5b,
using time-series charts
Topic 6: Assessment of side
effects of depot antipsychotics
Topic 7: Monitoring of
patients prescribed lithium
Topic 8: Medicines Reconciliation
Topic 9: Use of antipsychotic medication in
people with Learning Disabilities
Topics 10: Prescribing antipsychotics for
children and adolescents
Topic selection
criteria
Further information and
resources
Select from the links below
for further POMH-UK information and resources.
- POMH Members 2010: a list of
current POMH-UK member Trusts.
- POMH-UK
Members' Area: information and resources for current
POMH-UK member Trusts. You will need to know your user name
and password to access this area. Please
contact us if you have any queries about accessing or using
this site.
- Freedom
of Information Act: a useful summary of key
points about the Freedom of Information Act is available (prepared
by Capsticks on behalf of the Health Foundation).
-
POMH-data: Securely submit audit data and
questionnaire responses here. You will need to know your user name
and password. Please
contact us if you have any queries about accessing or using
this site.
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