Why focus on schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a national priority and was the topic for the
first ever guideline published by the National Institute of
Clinical Excellence (NICE). It is often a long-term,
sometimes life-long, condition that affects about 250,000 people in
England and Wales. As well as causing distressing symptoms
such as hearing voices, it can cause lasting impairment and a
degree of social exclusion. Also, people with schizophrenia
are more at risk than others of physical ill health and have lower
life expectancy. Antipsychotic medication is effective at
treating symptoms and preventing relapse. However these drugs
are associated with a number of side-effects that can cause or
contribute to distress and physical ill health. People who
experience these side-effects may discontinue medication and thus
be at increased risk of relapse.
Good prescribing for
schizophrenia requires achieving a balance between the beneficial
and adverse effects of medication, full involvement of the patient
in decision-making, close monitoring of physical health and active
advice and support regarding health promotion. There is
evidence of both sub-optimal practice and wide variation across
clinical teams in important aspects of the management of
schizophrenia; including treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
Standards and outcome indicators
The standards are drawn from National Institute of Clinical
Excellence (NICE) guidelines, and will enable you to evaluate:
- Practice in the prescribing of antipsychotic drugs
- The quality of physical health monitoring and interventions
offered to people with schizophrenia
- Patients’ experience of treatment and its outcome
- Carers satisfaction with the support and information they have
received
Why take part?
As part of the National Clinical Audit
and Patient Outcomes Programme (NCAPOP) it is expected
that all eligible Mental Health Trusts in England and Wales will
take part in NAS. Sixty (94%) eligible mental health Trusts
and Health Boards participated in the first round of audit.
By taking part in this audit:
Individual clinicians and teams
will:
- Better understand the outcomes and experience
of their patients and their carers
- Compare their performance with best practice
and national benchmarks
- Compare their performance with results from the first round of
audit
- Identify areas in which they are performing
well and areas for improvement
- Receive support to improve practice and the
quality of care
Managers can:
- Report participation in NAS as part of their
Quality Account (in England)
- Benchmark practice and performance with
standards and other organisations
- Identify areas in which they are performing
well and areas for improvement.
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