Date published: 10 November 2025

Short clip from podcast on Med Safety Week

Full episode 11 podcast can be found here or on Spotify here.

It's Medicines Safety Week and this annual campaign, now in its 10th year, highlights the importance of using medicines safely and supporting patients to achieve the best possible outcomes.

To mark the week, The 20 Minute Clinic podcast is proud to launch Episode 11: ‘Medicine Conversations’, featuring Helena Gregory, Strategic Head of Medicines Optimisation for North Cumbria and Medicines Safety Lead at the North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board.

In this episode, Helena explains the significance of #MedSafetyWeek, led by the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) in the short clip featured on this page. This year’s campaign focuses on reporting suspected adverse reactions to medicines and vaccines, and encouraging the reporting of issues with medical devices or healthcare products via the Yellow Card Scheme.

Listen to the full episode now here on this site or on Spotify here.

Helena joins Dr Robert Westgate to also discuss:

  • The role and impact of medicines optimisation

  • The importance of patient choice

  • Diverse career pathways in pharmacy

  • Medicines safety initiatives across North East and North Cumbria

  • Approaches to medicines in palliative care

  • How personalised care continues to improve outcomes for patients

This episode offers valuable insight into how local healthcare teams are working to make medicines safer and highlights the critical role of healthcare professionals in optimising treatment.

Another site mentioned during the podcast is the 'Deciding Right' resources, which you can find here.