Innovation Insights: Reducing high dose opioid harm through a co designed patient centred pathway

Reducing high-dose opioid prescribing can leave patients caught between services and without the support they need. What does a more joined-up, patient-centred approach look like in practice? Health Innovation North West Coast is sharing the story and evidence behind Medication Awareness Pathway Support (MAPS) — a co-designed, patient-centred pathway bringing together primary care and specialist drug and alcohol support to deliver structured reviews, personalised reduction plans, and holistic patient support. In this powerful session, Paul Hemsil, lived experience patient representative and lead for Prescription Only Medication Support (POMS) in Cranstoun Derby, generously shares his personal story. He speaks openly about how chronic pain led to a prescription opioid addiction, the profound impact it had on his life, and how, following successful rehabilitation, he now leads a service in Derby supporting others experiencing opioid addiction and dependency.