On Wednesday 6th May, the Community Pharmacy Patient Safety Group (CPPSG) hosted a patient safety lecture at the University of Nottingham in memory of Dr José Moss, former Vice-Chair of the Group and Deputy Superintendent Pharmacist and Medication Safety Officer, Boots.
The lecture marked the CPPSG’s ten-year anniversary and was in partnership with the University of Nottingham’s School of Pharmacy during its centenary year.
The lecture builds on the success of the ‘Bank Holiday resources campaign’, which shared a video and checklist to help pharmacy teams deliver opioid treatment programmes safely over bank holiday periods.
The event brought together a broad range of attendees, from students to professionals working across community and hospital pharmacy, NHS England (NHSE), the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), Community Pharmacy England (CPE), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and many others with a shared interest in opioid safety.
Martin Sadrkazemi, Chair, CPPSG, reflected on ten years of the CPPSG including the pivotal role Dr José Moss played as a founding member and latterly, Vice-Chair of the Group.
It also covered opioid stewardship, independent prescribing, models of care, and the policies and patient strategy needed to deliver these. Antony Chuter, expert patient, shared his lived experience with pain and how he now acts as a champion for people living with pain. He was followed by Matthew Boyd, Professor of Medicines Safety and Head of the division of Pharmacy Practice and Policy University of Nottingham shared research on the prescribing and supply of fentanyl patches conducted by the University in conjunction with the CPPSG.
Professor Dame Jenny Harries DBE DL, Chair of Community Pharmacy England and Honorary Professor at the University of Nottingham chaired a discussion with an expert panel featuring:
– Professor Tony Avery OBE, National Clinical Director for Prescribing and GP in Nottingham, Professor of Primary Health Care, University of Nottingham.
– Professor Roger Knaggs, President, British Pain Society and Professor of Pain Management, Faculty of Science, University of Nottingham.
– Dr Anum Iqbal, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer’s Clinical Fellow 2025/26.
– Antony Chuter, Expert patient – champion for people living with pain.
– Martin Sadrkazemi, Medication Safety Officer (MSO) and Deputy Superintendent, Rowlands Pharmacy and Chair, Community Pharmacy Patient Safety Group.
We also heard from Malcolm Harrison, Professor Barrie Kellam and Professor Matthew Boyd. With such a packed agenda, the evening was expertly facilitated by Jackie Giltrow, Head of Professional Standards and MSO, Paydens Pharmacy and Vice Chair, CPPSG.
Key topics explored included:
– The impacts on patients living with chronic pain and how it is both a medical/psychosocial issue and a society-wide issue. Holistic care is needed to optimise care
– The importance of language and the use of terminology – such as the wording used on dispensing labels for medicines such as fentanyl patches, the difference between deprescribing, tapering and optimisation. This also extends to the use of words like painkillers, and pain relief, when for many their pain is not relived or killed.
– The audience interaction concluded that the effectiveness of opioids across acute pain, cancer pain and chronic pain is different and the panel discussion recognised the importance of treating patients individually.
– Opportunities for better communication. A crucial part of this is listening to patients, enabling them to feel heard – many of whom carry their chronic pain silently.
There is a big opportunity for the ‘system’ to improve the management of high-risk opioid and through better collaboration improve patient experience. There is potential for community pharmacy to play a significant role in this – integrating community pharmacy into the pathways for helping patients with chronic pain.
The CPPSG is hosted by the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) and is sponsored by Cegedim Rx, NPA Insurance, Numark Membership, Pharmsmart and Proveca.
Martin Sadrkazemi, Chair of the CPPSG said:
“It was a privilege to welcome colleagues, collaborators and sponsors to the University of Nottingham to mark ten years of the CPPSG and to remember Dr José Moss’ outstanding contribution to patient safety. By focusing on opioid safety we want to support safer prescribing, dispensing and use of medicines for patients across the country.
The CPPSG looks forward to celebrating another decade, acting as the leading voice in driving the patient safety agenda within community pharmacy.”
Malcolm Harrison, Chief Executive of the CCA said:
“Community pharmacy has a vital role in medicines safety, and bringing together patient, clinical, academic and sector expertise is an important part of that. We were proud to support the CPPSG as it hosts this lecture which facilitated an open discussion
about opioid stewardship, independent prescribing and the changes and ideas needed to help prevent harm.
The lecture was held in memory Dr José Moss and I would like to personally pay tribute to the amazing work that Jose did for both patient safety in pharmacy and leading on the pragmatic and progressive development of pharmacy professional practice.”
Professor Dame Jenny Harries DBE DL, Chair of Community Pharmacy England and Honorary Professor at the University of Nottingham said:
“In my role as Chair of Community Pharmacy England, I am continually reminded of the importance of cross-sector collaboration in improving patient safety. This lecture brought together an expert panel spanning clinical practice, academia and lived experience, and highlighted the progress made in opioid safety while reinforcing the work still needed across the system.”
Community Pharmacy Patient Safety Group 