Terms of reference: expert reference group for the prescribed medicines review
Updated 14 November 2018
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1. Background and project objectives
In October 2017, Steve Brine MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care) wrote to Duncan Selbie, the Chief Executive of Public Health England (PHE) commissioning PHE to undertake a review of the scale and distribution of dependence, and the short term discontinuation or longer term withdrawal symptoms associated with prescribed medicines, and the optimal means of reducing it.
PHE will explore and analyse relevant data and review the up-to-date evidence on dependence, and the short term discontinuation or longer term withdrawal symptoms associated with prescribed medicines. The primary objective of the report is to give policy makers and local areas an objective assessment of the data and evidence. In addition, the report will provide evidence-based recommendations on policy and effective prevention and treatment interventions.
PHE’s Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco and Justice Division (Health Improvement Directorate) has established a project team to implement this work, and the expert reference group’s primary role will be to inform and guide it.
The review will bring together the best available evidence on:
- prevalence and prescribing patterns
- the nature and likely causes of dependence and the short term discontinuation or longer term withdrawal symptoms associated with prescribed medicines among some people who take these medicines
- effective prevention and treatment of dependence and discontinuation syndrome for each drug category
Included within the scope of the review are:
- adults (age 18 and over)
- dependence and discontinuation syndrome
- benzodiazepines, Z-drugs, GABA-ergic medicines, opioid pain medications, antidepressants
- community prescribing
2. Outline of functions
Members of the reference group will contribute to the success of the project by:
- informing the approach and providing support for the project as a whole
- ensuring advice is available on the key issues
- commenting on draft versions of the written report as requested
- advising on the quality, limitations and appropriate use of evidence
- highlighting relevant practice and implementation issues relevant to the review and signposting the review team to further information on such issues
- ensuring a focus throughout on how the findings will be used and presented
- assisting in the development of PHE’s recommendations, ensuring they are realistic and based on the strongest interpretation of findings from the review
Members can expect the project team to:
- give reasonable time to provide feedback
- alert them to potential risks and issues that could impact the project, as they arise
3. Meetings
Three meetings will be held over the course of the project. A fourth meeting may be held if required. Meetings will be held in London. The secretariat will be provided by PHE. The agenda and meeting papers will normally be circulated a week before the meeting.
4. Review of terms of reference
The terms of reference have been discussed at the first expert reference group meeting and amendments made where relevant.
5. Confidentiality
Reference group members are asked not to disclose any information shared in the meeting if they think it may have an impact on another member of the group or adversely affect the project. While the meetings are not confidential, frank discussion and the sharing of views will enhance the work. This may be inhibited if members feel comments will be publically attributed to them out of context. At times there may be specific information shared that is confidential and not to be shared outside of the group and this will be made explicit.
6. Declarations of interest
Each member of the external expert reference group and the project team will be asked to complete a declaration of interest form which will be registered with Public Health England. Declarations will be summarised in the final report and published online.
7. Membership and representation
Membership will include:
| Members | |
|---|---|
| Yasir Abbasi | Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust |
| Nav Alhuwalia | Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust |
| Louis Appleby | Centre for Mental Health and Safety |
| Ruth Bastable | Royal College of General Practitioners |
| Paul Chrisp | National Institute for Health and Care Excellence |
| James Davies | All-Party Parliamentary Group on Prescribed Drug Dependence |
| Sarah Dennison | Care Quality Commission |
| Colin Drummond | Royal College of Psychiatrists |
| David Geddes | NHS England |
| Natalie Gold | Public Health England Behavioural Insights Team |
| Ben Goldacre | Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) DataLab. University of Oxford |
| Graeme Henderson | University of Bristol |
| Gregor Henderson | Public Health England Mental Health |
| Tracey Hogan | The Bridge Project |
| John Hughes | Faculty of Pain Medicine |
| Martyn Hull | Primary care |
| Cathryn Kemp | Expert by experience |
| Jane Lothian | British Medical Association |
| Jim McManus | Association of Directors of Public Health |
| Luke Montagu | Expert by experience |
| Peter Pratt | NHS England |
| John Read | British Psychological Society |
| Sarah Rann | Royal College of General Practitioners |
| Gul Root | Department of Health and Social Care |
| Graham Sanderson | Primary care |
| Nikki Seddon | Primary care |
| Cathy Stannard | Pain specialist |
| Lucy Williams | Royal College of Anaesthetists |
Others able to attend meetings include:
| Observers | |
|---|---|
| Tim Baxter | Department of Health and Social Care |
| Rachel Clark | Public Health England (Risk Factors Intelligence) |
| Monica Desai | National Institute for Health and Care Excellence |
| Felix Greaves | Public Health England (Science and Strategic Information) |
| Mike Kelleher | Public Health England (Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco and Justice) |
| Rhian Hills | Substance Misuse Policy, Welsh Government & Corporate Business |
| Alpana Mair | Head of Effective Prescribing and Therapeutics, Scottish Government |
| John Marsden | Public Health England (Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco and Justice) |
| Gary Maxwell | Health Development Policy Branch, Department of Health- Northern Ireland |
| Jose Miyar | Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency |
| Nicola Parkinson | Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency |
| Clare Perkins | Public Health England (Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco and Justice) |
| Lynda Scammell | Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency |
| Marcus Starling | Home Office |
| Anh Tran | Public Health England (Knowledge and Library Services) |
| Martin White | Public Health England (Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco and Justice) |
| Secretariat | |
|---|---|
| Fizz Annand | Public Health England (Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco and Justice) |
| Pete Burkinshaw | Public Health England (Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco and Justice) |
| Lauren Oyinloye | Public Health England (Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco and Justice) |
| Garry Stillwell | Public Health England (Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco and Justice) |
| Steve Taylor | Public Health England (Alcohol, Drugs, Tobacco and Justice) |