To assess the compliance of glucose monitoring for patients prescribed antipsychotics in the local outpatient Learning Disability Team.

A review was conducted of all outpatients seen in a 6 week period during September and October 2023. Each patient was reviewed to check their diagnosis or diagnoses, the antipsychotic medication they are currently on and if they have had the required tests done. These tests were considered, as per the NICE guidelines, to be a plasma glucose test or HbA1c test. It was checked to confirm if these tests had been carried out within the past 12 months, as per NICE.

• • 46/79 patients seen in a 6 week period at the outpatient clinic were found to be currently prescribed an antipsychotic.

• • 30 of those prescribed an antipsychotic were on risperidone (65%).

• • Of those prescribed any antipsychotic, 18 out of 46 had not had their glucose or HbA1c checked within the past 12 months (39%).

• • This therefore demonstrates 61% of patients on an antipsychotic had appropriate glucose monitoring within the time period audited.

Monitoring glucose levels for patients on antipsychotic medication is very important for patients with an Intellectual Disability. Patients in this cohort are known to be more likely to have diabetes and obesity than the general population. In addition, there are higher levels of inactivity and multi-morbidity. It is also important to note that over-prescribing of psychotropic medication to individuals with learning disabilities, particularly antipsychotic medications such as risperidone and olanzapine, may be contributing to levels of obesity and diabetes within this population.

NICE guidelines state that for patients prescribed an antipsychotic, plasma glucose or HbA1c should be checked 3 months after commencement of treatment, and then every 12 months whilst on treatment. For olanzapine and clozapine, levels should be checked after 1 month of commencing treatment. Symptoms of hyperglycaemia should also be asked about (such as polydipsia, polyuria and increased appetite).

The results from this audit demonstrate there is definitely room for improvement in our monitoring of glucose levels for these patients. From discussing this with colleagues, it appears that a multidisciplinary approach is needed to promote this change.

Going forward, therefore, interventions should include asking the nursing staff within the outpatient team to monitor for increased appetite, polydipsia and polyuria amongst patients, especially if they are on an antipsychotic. Additionally, for any patients seen in OPC who are prescribed an antipsychotic, it should be routinely checked when they last had a glucose or HBA1c test. If this was not within the past 12 months, this should be carried out by the GP or another appropriate member of the team.

Overall, the physical health of our patients with Intellectual Disabilities is paramount. Given the nature of their Intellectual Disability and depending on the severity, it may be very challenging for them to identify any new symptoms of diabetes themselves or to report these to carers. Therefore, when prescribing antipsychotic medication, it is vital to monitor the effects of this to ensure optimal patient care utilising a multidisciplinary team approach.

The project's aim is to record up-to-date BMI readings of 70% or more of our service users by September 2024. We have identified barriers limiting current data collection, such as challenges weighing wheelchair bound clients or limited availability of weighing scales, and will action our change idea methods to reach our target in this time period.

Significant health inequalities have been identified in the learning disability population, with men and women in our cohort dying 23 years and 27 years younger respectively compared with the general population. Furthermore, people with learning disabilities are at increased risk of being overweight or obese compared with other cohorts, which itself leads to a range of health and social complications. A recent audit of our psychiatry caseload revealed the need to improve weight monitoring and subsequent management for our service users, to help reduce health inequalities identified.

We have weekly project meetings with our MDT including psychiatrists, dietetics, occupational therapists, nurses and psychologists. We have arranged stakeholder involvement by inviting service users to these weekly meetings to contribute their own ideas to the project, and have organised focus groups for service users, carers and staff. We intend to generate change ideas by using quality improvement methodology to identify primary and secondary drivers. One of these already incorporated into the project is a machine in our waiting room monitoring our clients’ weight, height and blood pressure. Having identified obstacles in our service users obtaining their weight, we have successfully bid for funding for one of these machines.

We will use Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycles to evaluate the effectiveness of our change ideas. Convenient sampling of our psychiatry caseload showed only 26.7% of 71 service users have an updated weight and BMI, and identified that we don't have a robust process for monitoring patients' weights (total project caseload is 1264).

During the development of this project, we identified a variety of approaches to improve health outcomes for our service users including educating staff on incorporating weight monitoring into consultations and how to manage the results. This project comprises one part of East London Foundation Trust's overall Triple Aim: to improve population health; improve the quality and improve value for the system. Going forward, our intention is to incorporate weight management into our routine reviews and ensure staff are educated in the importance of regular weight monitoring, the health benefits and how to refer.

In light of increasing referral rates, the RQIP aimed to review all referrals made to PLT by the ED during April 2023. The purpose was to identify ways to improve working practices to benefit patients, the ED team and the PLT.

All ED referrals in April 2023 were identified and the following was gathered from each record.

Patient information:

1. 1. Record number, sex, age

Circumstances of attendance:

1. 2. Date/time

2. 3. Who directed patient to ED and arrival method

3. 4. Attendance reason

4. 5. Presence/absence of physical health condition requiring ED

5. 6. Intoxication on arrival and if assessment required after sobriety

6. 7. Outcome

Patient involvement with other services:

1. 8. Number of previous PLT referrals in past 90 days

2. 9. Currently under care of another team, if yes, were they contacted before ED attendance

3. 10. Contact with crisis team in previous 72hours

During April 2023 there were 356 referrals from ED to PLT. 284 represented single attendances and 72 represented repeat attendances by 44 patients. 34% (n = 123) self-presented to ED. Emergency services directed 21% (n = 75) to ED. 71% (n = 253) had physical health reasons to attend whilst the rest presented with mental health crisis alone (n = 103). 25% of patients attending ED and referred to PLT were intoxicated and a third of these did not require assessment following sobriety. 41% (n = 145) patients were open to another mental health team within the trust who could potentially have provided crisis input. Of all referrals 27% (n = 97) were signposted to other services, 26% (n = 93) left before they were seen. PLT referred 11% (n = 40) to crisis teams and 3% (n = 11) to Mental Health Act assessment.

Findings indicate that a large proportion of patients attending ED could have had their mental health needs met elsewhere in the absence of a medical reason for attending, thus potentially avoiding long waits in ED. Patients that are referred but leave before assessment, those without acute medical need to be in ED, those that do not require assessment after sobriety or those open to other planned care mental health teams may have their needs best met outside of the acute ED environment. It is hoped that community transformation work will enable community services to become more responsive to such needs.

The team propose working collaboratively with the acute trust and trialling embedding a PLT clinician in the ED triage process in order to redirect patients to the most appropriate care in a timely way.

Being an autistic person in the United Kingdom (UK) is associated with a range of costs. This study reviews published literature which estimates the cost of living as an autistic person in the UK.

A systematic review of published peer-reviewed studies was undertaken. Search criteria included papers which were published after 2008, looked exclusively at costs of living as an autistic person in the UK and discussed quantitative data. Papers recovered during the literature search were screened by title and abstract independently by two reviewers. Papers included in the final review were critically appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) checklist. Four papers were selected for inclusion in this study. Following data extraction, results were compared in a narrative synthesis across six key domains defined in previous literature: Caregiver costs, Loss of productivity, Healthcare costs, Education costs, Accommodation costs, Therapeutic costs. During the data extraction process, analysis of cost inclusion criteria, data collection methods and cohort characteristics was conducted.

Across the literature the following findings emerged: Costs for autistic people with co-occurring intellectual disability (ID) are higher per year than for those without a co-occurring ID. Costs of care vary with age, with different cost categories peaking at different points in a person's life. Loss of productivity is one of the greatest costs, with education and accommodation costs also proving significant. Data looking at a wide range of expenses however do not determine whether expenses are paid by the individual or by the Government. There is a lack of data regarding financial income, whether sourced from employment or government support, such as Personal Independent Payments or Universal Credit. A lack of consistency regarding cost inclusion criteria and differences in data collection methods severely limit direct comparison of outcomes across the literature.

Lack of consistency in the measurement of cost components and defined cohort characteristics makes comparison across the literature challenging, comparison cannot inform any meaningful economic evaluation. Despite this, the overarching theme across all studies in this review is that current service expenditure is higher for autistic people than non-autistic people. This is particularly clear when discussing accommodation, healthcare and costs due to loss of productivity. Both age and co-occurring conditions have an impact on overall cost. These findings form a strong basis for future research in this area to standardise cost calculations across specified age ranges and evaluate current government-centered financial support available to autistic people.

• • To ensure all patients on a low secure female inpatient unit have bone health risk factors assessed, identified and interventions initiated within 3 months of admission.

• • The above to be achieved through creation of a Bone Health proforma, integration of a Bone Health checklist into the Intellectual Disability (ID) Annual Health Check and delivery of bone health education for patients and staff.

Background

Intellectual Disability has been shown to be associated with poor bone health, osteoporosis and increased fracture risk. The current NICE guidelines and risk tools (QFRACTURE), do not adequately reflect the true risk within this patient group who present with additional risks of epilepsy, antiepileptic medication and greater likelihood of low vitamin D. Bone health has not routinely been monitored in this population hitherto. This quality improvement project sought to develop a process whereby potential risk factors for poor bone health were identified and managed effectively.

The project was undertaken between February 2022 – October 2023 on a female low secure unit. All 8 patients on the unit were included. A baseline screening of risk factors was conducted to assess current practice and explore the clinical need for the project. Most patients were found to have multiple risk factors which had not previously been highlighted, indicating the need for formalised monitoring. Based on questionnaire feedback, a Bone Health Care Plan, a risk factor checklist which was integrated with patients’ ID Annual Health check and Educational workshops were developed. Primary and secondary drivers were identified at the outset and plan, do, study, act cycles were used to refine change ideas. The changes were evaluated using quantitative and qualitative measures.

Every inpatient has a completed Bone Health Care Plan. Twenty-five percent of patients were identified as having a particularly high risk and have had referrals accepted for Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans. All patients are using a new easy-read ID Annual Health Check form with Bone Health checklist incorporated. All staff and patients were given the opportunity to attend a series of four bone health workshops, 43% of patients attended at least one session. Positive written and verbal feedback was received from both patients and staff.

100% of service users have had their risk factors for bone health assessed and any necessary interventions applied. There is now an embedded process for reviewing the bone health of these patients annually where previously there was no regular monitoring.

This study aimed to assess the post-discharge follow-up processes for psychiatric patients, specifically focusing on a 72-hour follow-up with documented Mental State Examination (MSE) and the presence of a comprehensive care plan, including up-to-date risk assessments and handover documentation.

Conducted across three psychiatric units – Heddfan, Ablett, and Hergest – and associated Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) sites within Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, the audit spanned eight weeks (14/08/2023 to 16/10/2023). Adhering to NICE guidelines (NG-53) and CCQI Standards for Community-Based Mental Health Services-2017, data collection focused on the specified criteria.

Analysis revealed that 23% of patients did not receive a 72-hour follow-up post-discharge, attributed to reasons such as patient refusal or missed appointments. Only 74% of patients had documented risk assessments, posing challenges to follow-up teams. Despite the hospital's controlled environment, transitioning patients into the community demands updated risk assessments. While 87% of patients had documented mental state examinations during follow-ups, there's room for improvement in this crucial activity.

In summary, the study emphasizes the importance of meticulous documentation and communication in the transition from inpatient psychiatric care to community settings. Challenges in achieving comprehensive follow-up documentation, with only 67% meeting criteria, were identified. The presence of an online Medication Therapy and Electronic Discharge system faced obstacles in printout availability. Designating a responsible individual for care plans pre-discharge and commendable adherence to thorough assessments during inpatient stays (83%) underscore efforts for a holistic approach. Future enhancements should target improving medication information integration and fortifying collaboration between inpatient and community teams. Addressing these aspects not only prevents medication-related errors but also ensures a seamless and patient-focused transition, enhancing the overall quality of mental health care delivery.

Additional Authors: Dr Minahil Junaid, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Rhyl; Dr Moheet Rahal, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Rhyl; Dr Aanika Nawr Hoque, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Wrexham; Raghdah Faisal, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Bangor, Amin Rezk, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Wrexham; Mostafa Negm, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Wrexham.

Floatation-REST (restricted environmental stimulation therapy) has shown promising potential as a therapeutic intervention in psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and anorexia nervosa. We speculate that the sensory deprivation might act as a kind of interoceptive training. Within our lab, interoceptive trait prediction error has been used to predict states of anxiety in autistic adults. There is also emerging research conceptualising interoceptive mismatches potentially playing a role in fatigue. Our aim was to run a feasibility study assessing the tolerability of Floatation-REST for participants with disabling fatigue. We also aimed to establish the feasibility of gathering data on mechanistic measures, such as heart rate variability (HRV) and interoception, during floatation.

Participants were recruited via online advertisements and were screened to check they scored at least 36 on the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Pertinent medication changes and previous float experience within the last 6 weeks were amongst the exclusion criteria. Baseline measures included: Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS); Body Perception Questionaire; hypermobility questionnaire and Tellegen Absorption Scale. Participants completed four 90 minute sessions of floatation-REST across a 2–6 week period with 1 week of ecological momentary sampling (EMS) before and after. Immediate pre and post float measures included testing interoceptive sensibility, accuracy and awareness. HRV was measured during floatation. Change in energy was measured by retrospective subjective assessment, changes in validated fatigue scales and EMS.

Baseline MFIS scores (median = 67.5; range = 55–77) indicated a high degree of severity of participant fatigue. 15 participants were recruited to the study. 13 participants started the float intervention and 11 completed all four sessions. No drop out was due to poor tolerability. Most adverse events were mild, expected and related to the pre/post float testing. HRV data was successfully captured throughout all sessions. Participant surveys described improvements in energy levels, sleep and relaxation and 73% “strongly agreed” to an overall positive effect. Furthermore, both statistically and clinically significant reductions were noted in the mean FSS scores (56.9 to 52.6; p = 0.044) and the MFIS scores (67.0 to 56.4; p = 0.003). Detailed energy assessment was obtained by EMS with 37 to 86 data points per participant.

Floatation-REST appears to be a feasible intervention for people with severe fatigue. EMS, HRV data, interoceptive data and other measures were reliably recorded. Reported subjective benefits were supported by an improvement in objective fatigue scores, though the lack of a control group makes these improvements speculative at present.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends routine testing and replacing vitamin D in adults considered high risk of deficiency. Evidence suggests high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among those with alcohol dependence and those with chronic liver disease regardless of etiological factors. These findings are particularly important for Bridge House Detoxification Unit, where patients with complex substance use disorder (SUD), and multiple physical and mental health co-morbidities, undergo detoxification. The purpose of this audit project was to establish current levels of vitamin D testing on Bridge House Detoxification Unit in comparison to the standard set by NICE guideline PH56, and to improve it.

Data was collected retrospectively from a total of 76 patients, through 3 rounds of data collection. In each round all the patients discharged within a 2 months period were included. The Audit tool looked at whether vitamin D was tested on admission. Vitamin D level ranges were defined according to the Royal Osteoporosis Society: <25nmol/L is deficient, 25–50nmol/L inadequate, >50nmol/L is sufficient. After the first round, an intervention in the form of pre-populated blood form including vit D testing was introduced. This was to be used on the first day of admission. The second round measured improvement while the third round measured maintenance. Microsoft Excel was used to analyse data.

During the first round of data collection, no patient had their vitamin D tested. Following our intervention, 86.67% of our patients had their vitamin D tested suggesting significant improvement to compliance in the second round. In the third round, we were able to maintain compliance at 90%. Of the 44 patients that had their vitamin D tested after our intervention, 30 (68.18%) patients were within the deficient and inadequate thresholds, requiring vitamin D replacement.

This audit project examined international literature and local data identifying that vitamin D is indeed low among our patient group, therefore should be regarded as a high-risk group for vitamin D deficiency. There is sufficient evidence among the international literature that people with SUD suffer through significant physical and mental health effects of low vitamin D. A simple intervention of a prepopulated blood form was able to increase our compliance and maintained this.

• • To improve safe medication prescribing by achieving a 25% improvement in the number of cases reported in the practice within six months.

• • To reduce human factors contributing to medication errors to improve patient safety and quality of care.

• • Retrospective data collection was done for Halton and Widnes patients from March 2022 to April 2023;

• • Retrospective data collection for Re-audit was done for a period between June 2023 to January 2024 to complete the audit cycle;

• • Liaised with medicine management team for local practices/policies;

• • Reviewed and verified Trust standardised local policies on medicine management;

• • Reviewed incident data and checked processes in other teams;

• • The findings were presented at the Medicine Management meeting in May 2023;

• • Training on safe prescribing was delivered to the Memory team in June 2023.

• • During the first data collection period, 14 incident forms were reported.

• • During the second data collection period, 1 incident form was reported which was an administrative error.

• • Prescribing errors for the first cycle accounted for 28.6%, administrative errors for 35.7%, dispensing errors for 21.4%, and other errors for 14.3%.

• • Specific error types included prescribing the wrong dose/medication, medication not prescribed, medication unavailable and double prescribing.

• • No incidents of restraint, seclusion, rapid tranquillisation, ambulance calls, or RIDDOR were reported.

• • Administrative errors accounted for the majority of the total reported incidents (35.7%).

• • Recommendations include safe clinical practice of prescribing medication (MDT lead to update medication card and inform GP promptly).

• • Other recommendations were medication card updates, aligning clinical systems, avoiding email requests and introducing Community EPMA (Trust objective to introduce EPMA to community teams in 2024/25) and to standardise procedures.

• • An improvement of 92.9% in the incident reporting was found in the re-audit following a training session to the team with improved practice of no email requests or chains.

• • The audit identified communication difficulties within memory services, primary care and care home.

• • It also highlighted challenges related to new staff, post-MDT meetings medication card updates, prescriber preferences, geographical disparities, and doctors’ availability.

To evidence accurate completion and online upload of DNACPR, Adults with Incapacity (AWI) and Hospital Anticipatory Care Plan (HACP) paperwork at the point of admission across two old age psychiatry wards at Queen Margaret's Hospital, NHS Fife.

We identified which of our 36 inpatients required DNA CPR, AWI and HACP forms, compared with those who actually had this documentation in place, correctly completed, in their paper notes. When documents were present, we confirmed whether they were also uploaded to Morse (NHS Fife's psychiatry electronic notes system).

Data were collected on August 25th 2023 for cycle 1. A Multidisciplinary team meeting was held in each ward to consider strategies for improving performance, and 11 weeks were allocated for intervention design and implementation, before data collection was repeated on November 10th 2023.

The primary outcome was whether DNA CPR, AWI and HACP documentation were correctly in place across both wards. Completion rates of all forms improved between the two cycles, as did compliance with online upload (secondary outcome) and correct completion of all fields (secondary outcome).

Since our interventions (improving availability of forms, peer education regarding correct completion of forms, ward round prompts to review paperwork, streamlining workflow for scanning), there was a marked improvement in performance on both wards 1 and 4. For patients who were assessed to need an AWI form, form completion increased from 93.3% and 94.4% for each ward respectively, to 100% on both wards. Required fields on the form were completed in 71.4% and 76.5% for each ward respectively in August, increasing to 88.2% and 100% in November. DNA CPR forms were present for appropriate patients in 100% and 88.9% of cases on the two wards in August 2023, with 75% and 62.5% uploaded to Morse. This improved to 100% presence and 100% upload rates in November 2023. HACP forms were present in 100% and 83.3% of cases on the two wards in August, but were available online in 0% and 20% of cases respectively. This improved to 100% completion of HACP forms on both wards, with 100% and 91% respectively available online in November.

A combination of peer education, MDT learning, readily available forms, ward round review and awareness-raising across medical, nursing and administrative staff improved rates of accurate completion and online upload of DNA CPR, AWI and HACP paperwork.

Clear, accurate and efficient clinical communication between wards and on-call doctors is vital for good patient care. Issues were raised locally regarding the quality and content of these calls, and a QI project devised to assess the issue and implement meaningful change.

An initial QI Audit was undertaken, using Likert scale questionnaires to rank areas of concern. These were sent to all the doctors currently manning the on-call rota, and doctors who had previously covered these on-calls. Responses were used to gauge the key concerns, and a blank space and multiple choice question on possible contributors to the issues were included.

A communication prompt was designed that tackled the key issues highlighted by the audit. A clear flow-chart ensured that safe and sensible steps were taken to maximise the efficiency of a necessary call. A summary of the SBAR communication tool was also included to encourage structured handover. These prompts were cheap and easily affixed to ward telephones and were laminated and wipe-clean. Implementation was agreed with and supported by the senior nursing team.

A post-QI questionnaire was then sent out one month after the intervention, getting feedback from the junior doctors covering on-call shifts in that time.

Questionnaire Likert scales measured either Frequency (1-Very Rarely – 5-Very Frequently) or Quality (1-Poor – 5-Excellent), and a mean of the scores was taken for each question.

The initial audit (n = 14) included all the doctors currently on the on-call rota (n = 7). Key issues raised were Average Call Quality (2.2/5), how frequently recent NEWS scores were available (2.3/5), and how frequently key clinical information was on hand during the call (1.9/5). Many trainees were made to feel uncomfortable or like they were being difficult for requesting more information (3.2/5). And calls were often noted to not be relevant (3.9/5) or were confusing/unclear (3.9/5).

A second questionnaire was completed 1 month post-intervention by the doctors working the on-call rota in that time (n = 6). 100% reported some improvement, 33.3% reported significant improvement. Improvements included average call quality (4/5), frequency of recent NEWS (3.7/5), and availability of Key clinical information (3.5/5).

Blank space feedback highlighted the tool's clarity and simplicity.

This QI project was able to highlight and address a key issue in clinical care in a simple, and very low cost manner. Improvements were demonstrated after one month of intervention, and a more in-depth trust-wide rollout of the project is being discussed.

Writing clinic letters addressed and directed to the patient could be considered part of a strategy to implement a person-centred approach by giving patients more autonomy and understanding of their assessment and care plan. We carried out an audit of current practices and a survey of clinician attitudes within two community mental health teams to determine who clinic letters were being addressed to, whether they are being written in a suitable language and exploring the barriers to improving clinic letter writing.

We reviewed the first 100 initial and first 50 follow up clinic appointment encounters in two community mental health teams over a one-month period. We used a Microsoft Excel proforma to collect information on who the clinic letter was written to (patient or GP), whether the patient had been copied into the letter, and if not, if there was a recorded reason for why the patient had not been copied in. We also calculated the Flesch Readability score of each of the clinic letters to determine their reading ease using the Microsoft Word add-on tool. Following the initial audit, we carried out a survey to gain insight into clinician attitudes towards writing clinic letters directed to patients. The survey was sent out to all clinicians in the two community mental health teams where the audit was carried out.

The audit revealed that 53% of clinicians wrote their clinic letters addressed to the patient and 47% wrote them addressed to the GP. 69% of letters were classified as, according the Flesch Readability Score: fairly difficult to read, difficult to read or very difficult to read. The reading ease varied amongst different clinician types. The clinician survey had 16 respondents and revealed various reasons that clinicians did not to write to the patient – including the clinician's own opinion that letters should be addressed to the GP, current practice in their team to write to the GP, long-standing style of writing addressed to the GP and lack of training in writing to the patient.

There has been variable practice amongst clinicians for whom their clinic letters are directed to. The majority of letters in our sample were not easy to read and this could be considered suboptimal for the target population. Training in clinic letter writing directed to the patient and the development of purposefully designed clinic letter templates are ways that we could help facilitate improvement in this practice.

Benzodiazepines are commonly used medications that have the potential for dependence and use disorder. Despite these harms, they are regularly prescribed and acquired from non-prescription sources. It has been established that benzodiazepine use is a widespread problem in youth and young adults. Little evidence exists to guide management of benzodiazepine use in this population. This scoping review aims to gather literature on the management of benzodiazepine use and identify the gaps in the literature to guide further research, particularly in youth and young adults.

Methodology followed the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase, Cochrane, and Cumulated Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) were searched, together with a search of the grey literature. A survey of experts in the field of addiction medicine was completed. Broad inclusion criteria were used to capture any available literature. Data were compiled using Covidence software, and two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full texts against the eligibility criteria. Data were extracted using a modified JBI data charting table. Descriptive statistics and a simple thematic analysis were performed to summarize the data collected.

Of the 835 papers retrieved, 104 papers published from December 1982 to March 2023 were included in the final review. Two of the papers included in this review pertained to youth and young adults. The rest of the papers were based on the adult population. Gradual dose reduction is the only method with evidence for efficacy in youth. Several therapies show efficacy in adults and could be future areas of research in youth, including benzodiazepine maintenance therapy, carbamazepine, gabapentin, pregabalin, trazodone, flumazenil slow infusion, and buprenorphine in various clinical contexts. Valproic acid, agomelatine, tricyclic antidepressants, paroxetine, buspirone, progesterone, cyamemazine, magnesium aspartate, clonidine, lithium, hydroxyzine, chlorpromazine, alpidem, captodiame, and ondansetron were deemed ineffective, unsafe in youth, or were not available for use in Canada. Topiramate, lamotrigine, oxcarbamazepine, phenobarbital, propranolol, baclofen, mirtazapine, and nicotinic acid had preliminary, low-quality evidence in adults, and would require further study.

Benzodiazapine use disorder in youth is dangerous and common, and the lack of pharmacotherapeutic options has been deemed significant by our research team. The results of this review are promising in that they provide some further guidance on the management of this condition.

Community mental health transformation relies on the integration of NHS, local authority, and voluntary agencies to deliver mental health care and support where and when people need it. There is a concern that resources may be diverted to services focused on those with less severe problems and without robust outcome data. We plan to develop a network of self-sustaining mindfulness support groups in a disadvantaged locality with very limited community resources. We provided a pilot mindfulness programme to a group of mothers of primary school age children in East Cleveland.

Participants were recruited through poster adverts at a primary school. The programme was delivered through 12 weekly hour-long sessions at the school. The group facilitators had basic training in mindfulness. The aim was to teach basic mindfulness practices that could be used in everyday life, including breath work, meditation, and journalling. Mental health status at baseline, mid-point (week 6) and end point (week 12) was measured using the GHQ-12 (score 0–36 and a threshold for likely psychiatric disorder). Data was analysed using t test for continuous scores and χ2 test for caseness.

14 women responded to the invitation and 9 completed the programme attending a mean of 11.2 sessions. The mean age of participants was 37.4 years and 8 reported previous mental health treatment with medication or psychological therapy, with 4 currently taking medication, but none were known to secondary mental health care services. GHQ-12 scores at baseline indicated significant levels of mental health distress (mean score = 24.1, caseness = 100%). At the midpoint there was a 56.2% reduction in GHQ-12 scores, and this increased to 62.0% at the endpoint. 2 participants remained GHQ cases at both follow-up assessments. The improvement was highly significant (baseline mean score (SD) = 24.1 (2.71); final mean score (SD) = 9.11 (6.15); paired t test: t = 7.23, df = 8, P = 0.0001).

This was a novel programme where participants gained access through being parents of primary school aged children. Despite being an unselected community sample, the participants reported significant levels of psychological distress. This highlights both that most people with mental health problems have no contact with psychiatric services and that there remains a high level of unmet need in the community. In this sample, a remarkable level of improvement was demonstrated from a relatively simple and straightforward intervention. Clearly, this will benefit from replication in greater numbers in more diverse samples and settings and with follow-up to see if the benefits persist beyond the intervention phase.

This paper sought to estimate the number of potential candidates per year, within the boundaries of the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care System, for the receipt of Lecanemab, a novel treatment of Alzheimer's pathology.

One of the four memory assessment services within the region was selected at random, following which all referrals to that service in January and February 2023 were retrieved from the electronic patient record system (n = 45). These records were then screened to assess whether the patient met the criteria for treatment with Lecanemab. The inclusion and exclusion criteria from the original CLARITY-AD phase 3 clinical trial (van Dyck et al., 2022) were combined with those of the Appropriate Use Recommendations released by the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Therapeutics Work Group (Cummings et al., 2023)1,2. Patients could not be identified as certainly suitable for treatment, but simply as potential candidates, as current practice does not include all the necessary investigations to receive the new drug, for example undergoing amyloid PET or CSF testing.

11 of 45 referrals were potential candidates for novel therapeutics (24.4%). Of the 11, 3 were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (27%), and 8 with Mild Cognitive Impairment (73%). 8 were male, 3 female, with a mean age of 78 years (range 70 to 87). The mean score on the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination III was 82/100. Two patients had co-morbid mental illness, both mixed anxiety and depression, currently in remission. Extrapolating from this rate of eligibility for treatment, it is suggested that approximately 260 patients per year would be eligible for Lecanemab treatment within Mid and South Essex.

This paper estimates that approximately 260 patients per year would be eligible for Lecanemab treatment within Mid and South Essex based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria stated above. This estimate is given with caution, particularly as neither amyloid PET nor CSF testing was performed, and it is still not clear what other stipulations may be made by the UK regulatory bodies (for example the degree of vascular pathology permitted on neuroimaging). This paper does however provide a useful, early estimate of eligibility in order to facilitate planning for potential treatment pathways.

Rates of acute mental health presentations in youth were rising pre-pandemic internationally. Longitudinal studies following Covid-19 attest to ongoing deterioration in youth mental health, recognising adverse unintended consequences following public health restrictions.

This study aimed to examine whether the initial reported post-Covid-19 increase in mental health presentations persisted following the reclassification of Covid-19 to endemic status, which was accompanied by removal of most restrictions.

All referrals to paediatric liaison psychiatry (PLP) between Jan 2018–Dec 2022 in a Dublin tertiary children's hospital were included in the study. An interrupted time series analysis was conducted examining referrals with respect to different phases of Covid-19 and application of public health restrictions.

1,385 referrals to PLP were received over the 5-year study time-period. There was a significant decrease in PLP referrals immediately post Covid-19, following a significant and sustained increase as the pandemic progressed. Public health restriction phases had a unique effect on those presenting with suicidal ideation, with a significant increase in the number of referrals received. There was no effect of restrictions on other clinical profiles.

Increased referrals for youth with mental health difficulties, reported during the Covid-19 pandemic, persisted into the early endemic stage, after Covid-19 public health restriction have ceased. Potential impacts of restrictions on referrals of youth with suicidal ideation require further study. Investment in child and adolescent mental health services remain a priority, and future pandemic responses need to examine unintended consequences of any enforced public health measure.