Release Conference 2009

Release's annual conference was convened in Derby this year: for those of you who don't know it, this conference is distinctly different to most as it encourages the delegate to think around subjects that we often ignore. This year there was an excellent presentation from the English Collective of Prostitutes - reminding me for one that "the world's oldest profession" suffers many of the same prejudices and criminal persecution that drug users do, for "crimes" that ultimately only affect themselves. John Strang gave an excellent presentation on naloxone prescribing, and the follies of the legal status of naloxone - something I have banged on about before. We heard about drug consumption rooms and their success in a number of countries around the world (but still not the UK), the upcoming Welfare Reform Bill and many other interesting and important presentations. If you haven't been to a Release Conference then you should - excellent CPD and more mind expanding than most.

15TH NATIONAL RCGP CONFERENCE

RCGP SEX, DRUGS AND HIV TASK GROUP PRESENTS

Working with Drug and Alcohol Users in Primary Care

Integrating Practice and Policy: Everyone’s Business

THURSDAY 22 AND FRIDAY 23 APRIL 2010 | SECC GLASGOW

“I look forward to this conference all year because there is genuine debate wth all views being heard and considered and it is full of people who genuinely care’’ _{USER ADVOCATE APRIL 2009}

The largest event in the UK for GPs, shared care workers, drug users, nurses and other primary care staff, specialists, commissioners, and researchers interested in, and involved with, the management of drug and alcohol users in primary care.

Building on the success of past conferences, this long-standing event returns now, for its 15th consecutive year, to examine the critical role primary care plays in working with drug and alcohol users, their families and carers.

The two days focus upon integrating practice and policy, exploring the challenges, benefits and developments in practice today, with a Scottish flavour. Through an ensemble of over 40 factual, interactive and educational presentations, select special interest sessions, presented papers and films delegates will have the opportunity to explore a variety of topics including:

• Exploring the recovery debate and personalisation of treatment
• Redefining harm reduction
• Integration of the whole treatment system
• Discussing linkage between use of substances, deprivation, social exclusion and poverty

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS INCLUDE

• Marcus Roberts Director of Policy Drugscope
• James Egan Head of Policy and Practice Scottish Drugs Forum
• Roy Robertson GP and Reader University of Edinburgh
• Anne Whittaker Nurse Facilitator (Drugs/Alcohol/BBV) NHS Lothian

The conference also includes an exhibition and poster display throughout the event and a taste of Scotland reception and evening function on day one - an opportunity to further discussions and share personal knowledge and experiences with fellow attendees and speakers.

This highly popular event is a must save diary date for all professionals and anyone involved or interested in this complex area.

For more information about the event, or to request a conference brochure, please contact Hanisha on 020 8541 1399 or emailhanisha@healthcare-events.co.uk

What to do with over the counter addiction?

What to do with over the counter addiction?

Thursday 21^st January 2010

York Hotel York

A day to discuss OTC addiction:

• What is the size of the problem?

• What is the evidence?

• What are the best treatments?

• What does the updated Clinical Guidelines say?

• How do we best manage OTC addiction in general practice?

If you are concerned about any of the issues that these questions raise, then this day is for you.

Speakers include:

Dr Deborah Noland, GP Brownlow Group Practice Liverpool

Richard Cooper Lecturer in Public Health, University of Sheffield, and community pharmacist

Dr Chris Ford- GP SMMGP Clinical Lead and CPD Lead SMU

Payment information:

• Past and current certificate candidates: £130.00
• All other delegates: £150.00
• Please reserve your place before sending payment
• Payment is by cheque only and must be in the SMU office by December 18^th2009 at the latest
• Cheques should be made payable to the RCGP and sent to c/o Jo to the address below

Please note:

• Refunds for cancellations or non attendance are not available unless another delegate fills your place

For further information or to reserve a place please contact:

Jo Betterton (020 7173 6095 jbetterton@rcgp.org.uk) SMU, Suite 314,

32-38 Leman Street, London E1 8EW

At very long last, the RCGP's much trumpetted Alcohol Certificate is up and running. In a similar way to the Part 1 drugs Certificate, you need to complete some online emodules, but on this occasion these have been created by the DoH - you can have a play with them now by clicking here. There are two upcoming Face to Face events which are likely to fill very quickly, so book early to avoid disappointment. There is one in York on 24.9.09 you can enrol by clicking here, and one in London on 19/2/2010 which you can enrol on by clicking here. We can only hope that PCTs will bow to the mountain of public and media pressure to follow this up with some meaningful Alcohol LES commissions - however with the public purse being drier than a Pharoe's sock, I am not holding my breath.

Odds and sods this month folks: I can tell you that the RCGP alcohol certificate is almost there.... it has been tested to destruction by sages the length and breadth of the land and I suspect that I will have something concrete to tell you next month.

But I urge you to click on this link to see my good friend Sebastian Saville, CEO of Release, being interviewed by a Commons select committee on cocaine supplies in the UK. Sebastian is forthright and robust in his parrying of somewhat inane questions fom our political overlords.... I confess that even though I share every sensible person's loathing of the harm that current drugs laws create, I still struggle to see any alternative that causes any less harm.... but at least we have to talk about it in a mature way.

And if you have any patients on higher methadone doses and are worried about QT issues (Blogs passim) I have found a TERRIFICALLY useful web resource. Click here and you will find pages of useful information, drug interaction tables, patient information leaflets etc. Remember: this may be a rare cardiac complication of methadone treatment, but now that it has been recognised we are obliged to take it seriously.

Finally I can tell you that I have been working on drawing up some pragmatic guidance on dexamphetamine prescribing for many months and the work is nearly complete - it is certainly not for the neophyte or the faint hearted.... but someone has to give it a go.... watch this space.....

I am wondering how the recession might impact on drug services. The barrage of doom and gloom we hear daily in the news would have us all believe that the country is destitute, all government spending will be slashed, and all our patients must get out to work or have their benefits withheld. And yet surely there can not be any other branch of medicine that is more cost effective? whilst we are all stuffing seven million drugs down the (unwilling) throats of hypertensives and diabetics at enormous cost, simple treatment for heroin dependency saves a fortune to the public purse by every measurable criterion since such things were first measured 40 years ago.

But of course treating heroin dependency is not a great vote winner - and all our politicians are trying to curry favour with the electorate at a time when very few of them emerge with much credit from one scandal or another. So we all have a duty to remind all the opinion formers and anyone with any public profile exactly how important this work is.

New this month? check out the NTA's potted "Story of Drug Treatment" - it's a good read and you can get it by clicking here. And opposite check out the new DS Daily in the links bar from our friends at Drugscope.

Bank Holiday Scripting

This is the time of year when FP10MDAs bounce back from pharmacies with (in my case) alarming frequency - causing distress to the patient, embarrasmment to the pharmacy and annoyance to me. So remember the golden wording which you can get your computer to add to EVERY FP10MDA you ever print from now on:

"Instalments on pharmacy closed days may be dispensed on the day immediatley prior to closure"

you won't ever have to worry about bank holidays or even Sundays ever again!