Recommendation for holistic support from pharmacists for new mental health diagnoses

A new report published by The Royal Pharmaceutical Society, “No health without mental health: how can pharmacy support people with mental health problems?” calls for patients commencing treatment for depression to have a structured review with a pharmacist to help eradicate inequalities in their care. Pharmacists would need full access to the patient’s records and the review would include a physical health check and advice on exercise and quitting smoking.
Sandra Gidley, chair of the RPS English Pharmacy Board said: “It’s crucial that the government and the NHS make the most of the pharmacy workforce to better support patients and commission services which integrate pharmacists into care pathways that can better support patients. In every setting, pharmacists can make a huge difference to the mental health of their patients and so help demonstrate in a practical way the parity of esteem there should be between mental and physical health problems.” She also said that the treatment gap between mental and physical health was “enormous,” and the poorer health of people with mental health problems was “shaming”.
Paul Farmer, Mental health charity Mind’s chief executive said: “They (pharmacists) are ideally placed to signpost people to other services and provide general health advice in an informal accessible setting. This report will be a valuable resource to kick-start conversation and — more importantly — action, looking at how we can ensure that pharmacists and primary care services as a whole are doing all they can to give people with mental health problems the support they deserve.” He believes that pharmacists can help make sure that anyone prescribed medication for their mental health is given the full picture about their treatment, including side-effects, and can encourage people to visit their GP where necessary.