Helping people with a learning disability, at risk of behaviour that challenges, to avoid harm from psychotropic medicines

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The National Medicines Safety Improvement Programme (MedSIP) is part of the National Patient Safety Strategy. It aims to address the most important causes of severe harm associated with medicines, that continue to challenge the health and care systems in England.

Since April 2025, the programme has focussed on reducing harm from psychotropic medicines used for behaviour that challenges, in people with a learning disability.

National programme

Health Innovation East Midlands and Health Innovation West Midlands work together as lead Patient Safety Collaboratives (PSCs) to coordinate and support delivery of MedSIP nationally.

In the East Midlands

We are working with Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland ICB and Northamptonshire ICB to deliver the programme.

Full easy read document available here

Find out more about the national and local work.

View and download easy read documents.

This webpage covers the local work taking place in the East Midlands.

During 2025/26, HIEM collaborated with both the Northamptonshire, and Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland (LLR) Integrated Care Systems (ICS) on the national Medicines Safety Improvement Programme (MedSIP), which aims to help people with a learning disability, at risk of behaviour that challenges, to avoid harm from psychotropic medicines.

We developed a vision statement for the work.

Using a whole system approach to change, we supported each ICS to map their service pathway, involving individuals across health and social care, VCSFE, and lived experience.

We then supported systems to undertake an action planning process to identify aligned areas of improvement that both systems could collaborate on to maximise the impact and learning.

Areas identified for future action included: