Information for pharmacists

Who can be involved?

Pharmacists and nurse prescribers working within primary care networks (PCNs) or GP surgeries or/and integrated care boards (ICBs), who conduct structured medicine review.

Do I need experience working with adults with intellectual disabilities?

Ideally, but not necessary. If necessary, specialist pharmacists and nurses from the Learning Disability Practitioner Network in England who specialise in prescribing and deprescribing for adults with learning disabilities will support you through online discussion and mentoring.

Will I get paid?

Will I be responsible for prescribing/de-prescribing?

No, you will not be responsible for prescribing or deprescribing. This will be done by the person’s own doctor (GP or the psychiatrist) with whom you will liaise jointly with the service manager in the care home.

What role will I play?

Your job will be to conduct a structured preparatory medicine review for the adults with learning disabilities. You will reconcile medicine information across care records; review current and previous psychotropic prescribing, their indications and outcomes, co-prescribed medicines and drug interactions, side effects, monitoring requirements, factors that may impact dose reduction, and relevant physical health information; and prepare a report.

This review gathers the information needed to help the doctor decide the best course of action for the person. Your report will form the basis of a multi-stakeholder discussion to decide whether to consider antipsychotic dose reduction. Then you and the service manager will liaise with the GP or the psychiatrist to decide whether and how to develop a suitable taper plan. Thorough planning, including contingency and a necessary support plan, will support dose reduction. The service manager, supported by you, will monitor progress over 18 months and liaise regularly with the multi-stakeholder group. Click here to learn more about the structured preparatory medicine review.

Who's medicine will I review?

A cluster (Service provider organisation where the person with intellectual disabilities resides) will be randomly assigned to you based on your area. You may be assigned more than one cluster.

What is the expected time commitment?

Recruitment and medicine review start on 01.04.27, which runs for 18 months, followed by 18 months of follow-up. A review with the individual’s GP or psychiatrist is conducted every three months and typically lasts 30–45 minutes. A structured preparatory medication review and the short multi‑stakeholder meeting focused on deprescribing (15 minutes) occur monthly (30 minutes).

However, the implementation process will be discussed in a workshop at the beginning of the project, and an agreed plan will be developed to guide everyone.

Want to participate or have any questions?