Talking Meds - A PrescQIPP podcast

Welcome to this episode of Talking Meds where your host, Jonathan Underhill, Medicines Clinical Adviser at PrescQIPP, talks to Emma Kirk who is the Medication Safety Officer Network Lead for the NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service (SPS). Emma and Jonathan explore the thorny issue of medication safety and some of the initiatives to improve this. We will look at the role of medication safety Officers or MSOs and some of the commonly seen errors such as look alike sound alike errors – LASA errors.
Emma is a nationally recognised leader in medication safety. As the MSO Network Lead, she provides strategic support to MSOs across England, driving forward the national medication safety agenda. Her work focuses on advancing safer use of medicines through education, collaboration and system level improvement. This shapes safer practices and strengthens professional networks to promote a culture of continuous learning and patient safety across the NHS.

PrescQIPP resources mentioned:
Look Alike Sound-Alike error awareness and prevention E-learning
Medicines safety webkit 
Bulletin 336. Reducing opioid prescribing in chronic pain
Bulletin 349. Look-alike sound-alike prescribing errors
Bulletin 351. Insulin
Bulletin 356. Stopping overmedication of psychotropic drugs
Bulletin 360. Anticholinergic burden
Bulletin 361. Medicines without harm
Bulletin 373. Medicines safety
Other resourced mentioned:
Specialist Pharmacy Service - The Medication Safety Officer (MSO) role
Centre for Pharmacy PostGraduate Education (CPPE) Patient safety eLearning
Health Innovation North West Coast - Medicines Safety Programme
A new episode of Talking Meds will be available on the first Friday of the month.
If you have feedback or suggestions for future topics and guests please submit them to [email protected]

PrescQIPP is funded by the NHS for the NHS, and our aim is to improve medicines-related care for patients. We do this by producing high quality evidence-based resources and training, and by facilitating networks between NHS organisations and professionals.
The majority of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the UK can access our resources by registering and logging on to our website. If you have any difficulty accessing the website you can email [email protected] and we’ll aim to sort things out for you.

Find out more about PrescQIPP here

Welcome to this episode of Talking Meds, discussing medicines optimisation challenges for people in secure settings such as prisons. Your host, Jonathan Underhill, Medicines Clinical Adviser at PrescQIPP, talks to Denise Farmer.
Denise is Pharmaceutical Adviser for Health and Justice Commissioning at NHS England. She has a longstanding interest in pharmacy services and medicines pathways in health and justice settings from local to national levels. She first entered a prison in Norfolk while working in a Primary Care Trust (PCT) in 2002 and never really left!
Denise’s role provides strategic support for commissioners and service providers. She leads delivery of national H&J medicines policy and strategy to improve medicines optimisation in secure custodial environments.
Further information about NHS England's commissioned services for people in prisons, immigration removal centres and secure environments for children and young people is available here: NHS commissioning » Health and justice
Resources mentioned in this episode:
PrescQIPP resources with recommendations about health and justice and contact details.
Shared resources awards project 2025
https://pharmaceutical-journal.com/article/news/what-i-do-as-a-pharmacist-in-the-prison-service
Providing pharmacy services for secure environments (2026) : CPPE
RPS professional standards: Optimising Medicines in Secure Environments
RCGPSEG: Safer prescribing in Prisons and other useful resources: Secure environments group and the affiliated UK Health and Justice Network
Health and Justice Medicines Optimisation Network - Futures (NHS Login required)
HEE/NHS WTE Careers map has a HJ area and an example in their case studies: Health & Justice - Pharmacy Careers
SPS run webinars/events for secure environments teams and stakeholders: Latest developments in Health and Justice Medicines Optimisation – NHS SPS - Specialist Pharmacy Service – The first stop for professional medicines advice
A new episode of Talking Meds will be available on the first Friday of the month.
If you have feedback or suggestions for future topics and guests please submit them to [email protected]

PrescQIPP is funded by the NHS for the NHS, and our aim is to improve medicines-related care for patients. We do this by producing high quality evidence-based resources and training, and by facilitating networks between NHS organisations and professionals.
The majority of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the UK can access our resources by registering and logging on to our website. If you have any difficulty accessing the website you can email [email protected] and we’ll aim to sort things out for you.

Find out more about PrescQIPP here

Welcome to the second of our two episodes of Talking Meds about Genomics-informed medicines optimisation!

We are again joined by Vicky Chaplin and Paul Selby. Vicky is the Senior Clinical Lead for the Genomics Unit at NHS England, while Paul is a Consultant Pharmacist in Genomics, working at East Genomics. Again, Paul and Vicky have many qualifications in genomics and its great to have them both here to give both a National and Local view of what’s happening in this area.

In this second episode we delve deeper into what the Ten Year NHS Plan says about genomics as well as the latest developments around genomics-informed medicines optimisation, and discuss what might be coming over the horizon very soon!
PrescQIPP resources mentioned in this episode:
Pharmacogenomics webinar series
Clinical Masterclass - November 2023 - Pharmacogenomics: Is it time for implementation into clinical practice?
Other resources:
Genomics in Pharmacy - Genomics Education Programme
Spotlight: PROGRESS project
Pharmacy genomics workforce, education and training strategic framework
UKCPA Genomics community
UKCPA Handbook of Pharmacogenomics
CERSI-PGx - ADVANCING PHARMACOGENOMICS IN THE UK
Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England
PrescQIPP Annual Awards 2026 - Entries are now open for the 2026 PrescQIPP Awards - deadline: 15th May 2026
Now is the time to share all the good work you have done over the past year and be in for a chance to win a prestigious PrescQIPP award - 
open to all teams working with the NHS across all sectors!
Categories for 2026:
Addressing health inequalities
Care homes/domiciliary care/carer medicines optimisation
Data tools and technology to support medicines optimisation
Enhanced productivity, sustainability and value for money
Patient safety and address overprescribing
A new episode of Talking Meds will be available on the first Friday of the month.
If you have feedback or suggestions for future topics and guests please submit them to [email protected]

PrescQIPP is funded by the NHS for the NHS, and our aim is to improve medicines-related care for patients. We do this by producing high quality evidence-based resources and training, and by facilitating networks between NHS organisations and professionals.
The majority of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the UK can access our resources by registering and logging on to our website. If you have any difficulty accessing the website you can email [email protected] and we’ll aim to sort things out for you.

Find out more about PrescQIPP here

Welcome to this episode of Talking Meds where we are going to be talking about taking medicines during periods of fasting. This is particularly relevant at times of the year like this during Ramadan or during Lent for some Christians who observe that. And of course intermittent fasting is very popular as a way of losing or maintaining weight. To discuss this I'm joined by  Dr Salman Waqar.
Salman is a GP with a background in academia, policy, medical leadership, public health, and education & training. He also has a strong background in community organising and advocacy.
He has vast experience of teaching and training for organisations such as the Royal College of GPs and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and has an honorary academic position at Imperial College London having published over 40 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters (see google scholar list here) 
We think there is a significant learning need around medicines issues during periods of fasting, as well as an opportunity to engage with patients who may not otherwise access healthcare services. The resources linked below can help address this.
Resources mentioned in this episode;
Ramadan Compendium, with risk stratification table
Pharmaceutical Journal Article: Case-based learning: medicines management during Ramadan - How pharmacists can support patients in safely and effectively managing medications while fasting.
Fasting during Ramadan and fitness for work implications | Occupational Medicine | Oxford Academic
Ramadan and Diabetes: A Narrative Review and Practice Update | Diabetes Therapy | Springer Nature Link
PrescQIPP Annual Awards 2026 - Entries are now open for the 2026 PrescQIPP Awards - deadline: 15th May 2026
Now is the time to share all the good work you have done over the past year and be in for a chance to win a prestigious PrescQIPP award - 
open to all teams working with the NHS across all sectors!
Categories for 2026:
Addressing health inequalities
Care homes/domiciliary care/carer medicines optimisation
Data tools and technology to support medicines optimisation
Enhanced productivity, sustainability and value for money
Patient safety and address overprescribing
A new episode of Talking Meds will be available on the first Friday of the month.
If you have feedback or suggestions for future topics and guests please submit them to [email protected]

PrescQIPP is funded by the NHS for the NHS, and our aim is to improve medicines-related care for patients. We do this by producing high quality evidence-based resources and training, and by facilitating networks between NHS organisations and professionals.
The majority of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the UK can access our resources by registering and logging on to our website. If you have any difficulty accessing the website you can email [email protected] and we’ll aim to sort things out for you.

Find out more about PrescQIPP here

Welcome to the latest episode of Talking Meds and the PrescQIPP podcast, engaging conversations about medicines-related dilemmas. Today Jonathan Underhill, Medicines Clinical Adviser at PrescQIPP, talks to Prof Philip Howard about penicillin allergy de-labelling, colloquially known as PADL.
Philip is a leading expert in antimicrobial stewardship, he currently serves as Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Regional Antimicrobial Stewardship Lead for NHS England North-East & Yorkshire. He is also a Past President of the British Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, a member of the DHSA advisory group on AMR and healthcare-acquired infections, and supports NICE in developing infectious disease guidance.
He has published widely on antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) and antibiotic shortages, and has delivered AMS education and training globally. Among his many honours, I know he was especially proud to receive an OBE for services to healthcare.
Patients with a recorded penicillin allergy cannot receive many first-line antibiotics and may need second or third-line agents, increasing antimicrobial resistance. Although true penicillin allergy can be life-threatening due to anaphylaxis, 6–8% of the UK population (4–5 million people) carry a label, and up to 95% are inaccurate. Careful penicillin allergy de-labelling (PADL) therefore benefits both individuals and public health.
PrescQIPP resources mentioned in this episode;
Bulletin 313: Antimicrobial stewardship
Clinical Masterclass - July 2024 - Antimicrobial Stewardship; NAP for success in AMS
Antimicrobial stewardship
NHS Oversight Framework 2025-2026 - ICB performance dashboard: Children prescribed antibiotics in primary care
Other resources mentioned in this episode;
Summary of antimicrobial prescribing guidance - managing common infections
Start smart then focus: toolkit summary
ALABAMA study
National patient safety alert – harm from incorrect recording of penicillin allergy as penicillamine allergy
A new episode of Talking Meds will be available on the first Friday of the month.
If you have feedback or suggestions for future topics and guests please submit them to [email protected]

PrescQIPP is funded by the NHS for the NHS, and our aim is to improve medicines-related care for patients. We do this by producing high quality evidence-based resources and training, and by facilitating networks between NHS organisations and professionals.
The majority of pharmacists and other healthcare professionals across the UK can access our resources by registering and logging on to our website. If you have any difficulty accessing the website you can email [email protected] and we’ll aim to sort things out for you.

Find out more about PrescQIPP here