Transition

I work with a lot of people.

Or more accurately, as I'm oft times reminded, I meet with a lot of people and they do a lot of work.

One area of work is prescribing. I'm a doctor, doctors have expertise in this area. Psychiatric drugs are contentious, I'm a psychiatrist so can inform on reasoned, evidence based rational prescribing practice. This means I'm often asked to attend Local Authority or PCT or APC meetings to talk through how medication should/shouldn't be used.

This has contributed to significant improvements.

Patients can access any class of drug without constraints placed upon prescribers, rather than being totally protocol driven our patients can access drugs at any stage of illness (so we can freely prescribe outwith NICE guidance), our use of contentious drugs (such as antipsychotics in dementia) is audited and is seen to be good, use of medication in care homes has dropped markedly with rich mental health staff input instead, Local Authority has funded use of support workers/day care to reduce carer stress (and reduce medication through staff input as a viable alternative), GPs 'phone me up for advice or drop a short letter with all the details as well as making formal referrals for input.

Over the last few years things have got a lot better in my corner, with much better medicines management.

A recent PCT meeting I was invited to caused concern. The folk advancing all the work to progress sensible care were no longer in post, within either the Local Authority or the PCT. With the writing on the wall for PCTs, everyone's leaving, sharpish. With Local Authority not able to cut front line Assessment Officers/Social Workers unless they're not needed (and they are!) it's managers/decision makers who're being lost.

But in this state of flux, work that's been gently but purposefully progressing for the last few years now comes to a hiatus.

In this brave new world of austerity and GP consortia, will it all get better, once again?