Safer Patients Network

Dear Network
I congratulate you on setting this up, which is extremely important. As a patient representative in the NHS for the last 11 years, I find that the doctor's Hippoctratic oathm 'do no harm' is honoured more in the breach than the observance, not knowingly, but because the trust that the doctor naturally has in government regulatory bodies, and their reliance on the integrity of the drug companies, has been broken. Most publicly funded interventions are drug-based, and have side effects which are harmful. Many drugs have recently been shown to be no more effective than placebo (eg antidepressants)
For safer, more effective interventions, we have to commission meditation-based interventions, such as the Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy 8 week course, which received the gold standard of evidence - NICE recommendation in 2004 (CG23). This is provided in the NHS, but just to tick the box 'complies with NICE guidelines, as the waiting time in Sussex is 2,000 years. I have foneded a company called SECTCo to provide this free on the NHS, see www.sectco.org, and am seeking a contract with the GP consortia.. This is safe, effective and gives good patient experience, and is cliically appropriate to most patients in primary care.

MBCT is an evidence- based model.The authors of MBCT, referred to above, have clearly advised that MBCT be taught by those with mental health training ONLY. Whilst there is no legitimate regulatory body, as yet, in UK for mindfulness- based interventions, vulnerable individuals are faced with the dilemma of needing to protect themselves against those who do not have appropriate training. The most dangerous of this group are those who present themselves as expert or accredited. Interestingly, they also charge the highest prices to participants.

For the record, as a senior NHS clinician qualified to teach mindfulness - based approaches, there are a growing number of appropriately trained individuals who do hold ethics highly offering MBCT within NHS.

There is no accreditation body for mindfulness -based approaches in U.K. Those organizations who offer accredited training have accredited themselves. To suggest that these models, already demonstarted to be robust and to hold the integrity of mindfulness teachings, need to be enhanced without proof, needs to be seen for what it is. The value and intention of self acclaimed authority or accreditation here is left to the reader's own interpretation.

It has been a great privilege for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to be a mentor site in the Safer Patient Network Pass It On Collaborative. The team has recieved support from The Health Foundation and coaching and skills development from IHI. A huge thank you to the 6 organisations that worked with us as mentee sites and allowed us to put our new skills in to practice. In the spirit of all sharing and all learning we will contiue our quest to spread the SKIN Bundle and make pressure ulcers a thing of the past.

On behalf of the Cardiff and Vale UHB Team
Alison Evans, Joy Whitlock, Gemma Ellis, Sian Rowlands and our fantastic executive lead Mandy Rayani.