Dr Ian Maidment

Professor of Clinical Pharmacy Aston University

  • Birmingham

Professor Maidment has a focus on the use of medication in day-to-day practice.

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2 min

Aston University’s Ian Maidment helps develop training for pharmacy staff supporting those with long COVID

The e-learning resource, Supporting people living with long COVID, was developed by the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) It is designed to help community pharmacy teams build their skills, knowledge and confidence The programme offers video and audio resources, practical consultation examples and strategies for supporting individuals. Professor Ian Maidment at Aston Pharmacy School has been involved in a project with the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) to develop a new e-learning programme for community pharmacists, called Supporting people living with long COVID. The programme is designed to help community pharmacy teams build their skills, knowledge and confidence to support people managing the long-term effects of COVID-19. It was developed with researchers undertaking the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)-funded PHARM-LC research study: What role can community PHARMacy play in the support of people with long COVID? During the development of the e-learning resource, as well as with Professor Maidment, CPPE worked in collaboration with researchers from Keele University, the University of Kent, Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and lechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru (Public Health Wales). The research draws on lived experience of long COVID, as well as the views of community pharmacy teams on what learning they need to better support people living with the condition. This new programme offers video and audio resources, practical consultation examples and strategies for supporting individuals through lifestyle advice, person-centred care and access to wider services. Professor Maidment said: “As an ex-community pharmacist, community pharmacy can have a key role in helping people living with long COVID. The approach is in line with the NHS 10 Year Health Plan, which aims to develop the role of community pharmacy in supporting people with long-term conditions.” Professor Carolyn Chew-Graham, professor of general practice research at Keele University, said: “Two million people in the UK are living with long COVID, a condition people are still developing, which may not be readily recognised, because routine testing for acute infection has largely stopped. For many, the pharmacy is the first place they seek advice about persisting symptoms following viral infection. The pharmacy team, therefore, has the potential to play a really important role in supporting people with long COVID. This learning programme provides evidence-based information to develop the confidence of pharmacy staff in talking to people with long COVID. Developed with people living with long COVID, the programme’s key message is to believe and empathise with people about their symptoms.” Visit www.cppe.ac.uk/programmes/l/covid-e-01 to access the e-learning programme. This project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Programme (Grant Reference Number NIHR205384).

Dr Ian Maidment

4 min

Aston University researcher to help uncover hidden impact of painkiller overuse among older people

The HOPE-AO project led by the University of Plymouth will look at the potential harms of overprescribed pain medication in older people in the UK Aston University’s Professor Ian Maidment will bring his expertise in pharmacy and work with patient groups on medicine optimisation The project has been funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) A new study led by the University of Plymouth will explore chronic pain prescribing in older adults across the UK, with the aim of understanding whether current treatments and processes meet their needs. The HOPE-AO: Helping to Optimise Pain control in the Elderly experiencing Analgesic Overprescribing project is being supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and includes Aston University’s Professor Ian Maidment. It will investigate whether certain groups of the older population are more likely to have analgesic (pain relief) medication overprescribed to them, and any side effects or other harms these medications can pose if taken for long periods. It aims to identify alternative treatment solutions to reduce the use of unnecessary pain medicines, working with patients to develop a list of acceptable strategies that could be tested and implemented across the UK. Around 4m older people across the UK live with varying degrees of chronic pain as a result of conditions including arthritis, diabetes or frailty. While some people benefit from pain relief medicines, many end up receiving long-term repeated prescriptions – for medications ranging from paracetamol and ibuprofen to opioids and antidepressants – for weeks, months or years at a time. The project is being led by researchers from the University of Plymouth, working with colleagues at the University of Exeter, Aston University, University of Aberdeen and the North East London Foundation NHS Trust. It is funded by through a Programme Development Grant from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The project team comprises experts in the care of older people – including healthcare researchers, nurses, consultants, GPs, pharmacists and psychiatrists working across the UK – as well as medical statisticians and health economists. It also involves an advisory group of patients with lived experience of receiving repeat prescriptions for pain medication. During the project, the team will speak to patients aged 65 and over with a history of chronic pain for which they are taking, or have taken, medication and families who cared for and supported relatives with chronic pain. They will also speak to healthcare professionals who are either prescribing or supporting older adults taking medication for chronic pain management. Alongside this work, the team will analyse anonymised healthcare data to understand more about older adults who are prescribed medication for chronic pain. This includes patterns in prescribing, health and demographic factors associated with pain medication use, and potential health outcomes, and will help identify those likely to benefit most from support. Professor Maidment, from Aston Pharmacy School, will bring his expertise in pharmacy, medication use in day-to-day clinical practice and working with diverse groups of patients to support medication optimisation. He said: “From my experience in community pharmacy, the use of pain medicines is very common in older people. We need to work with older people to understand how we can help older people to use other potentially safer approaches.” Patricia Schofield, professor of clinical nursing at the University of Plymouth and one of the study’s chief investigators, said: “Very often, older people are told by a doctor that the most effective means of treating a health condition is through some form of pain relief. But they often don’t get any form of follow-up appointment and, as a generation, are less likely to seek one as they either feel pain is part of the ageing process or they don’t wish to be seen as a burden. The result is that they end up getting repeat prescriptions, potentially for pain medications they no longer need and also at significant cost to the NHS. “This study will give us a clearer understanding of the scale of the issue which we can use to develop ways of benefitting patients and their families, and the healthcare professionals working to treat and support them.” Victoria Abbott-Fleming MBE, founder of the charity Burning Nights CRPS Support, is the chair of the Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement group for the HOPE-AO study. It will be made up of several adults over the age of 65 who live with chronic pain and have received repeat prescriptions for pain medication. Victoria has herself lived for more than 20 years with a chronic pain condition, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), and set up Burning Nights to support those affected by it on a day-to-day basis and their families. She is also chair of the Expert Patient and Carer Committee at the British Pain Society. She said: “I’m excited to support this study that places the voices of older adults and their carers at the heart of pain management. All too often, those living with chronic pain – especially older adults – are prescribed medication without regular review or consideration of alternative approaches. This study is a vital step towards more informed and balanced care, helping ensure that older people living with chronic pain are not just treated, but truly heard and supported.”

Dr Ian Maidment

3 min

Aston University’s Professor Ian Maidment to contribute to UK’s first long COVID antiviral drug trials

The £1.25m study, being led by the University of Derby, is trialling antiviral medications as a treatment for symptoms of long COVID Professor Ian Maidment from Aston Pharmacy School is the lead pharmacist and will provide support for the clinical trials It is estimated that more than 2m people in the UK and more than 144m globally live with long COVID Professor Ian Maidment, at Aston Pharmacy School, is the lead pharmacist on a groundbreaking research project looking to find a treatment for symptoms of long COVID, which is being led by the University of Derby. The £1.25m trial, which is the first of its kind in the UK, is exploring whether antiviral medications can be used as an effective treatment option for patients diagnosed with long COVID. It is estimated that more than 2m people in the UK and more than 144m globally live with long COVID and almost a quarter of sufferers have had their symptoms for more than two years. Symptoms are broad and include extreme fatigue and breathlessness, palpitations, and brain fog. The trial, which began in September 2024, is part of a wider programme of groundbreaking research being led by the University of Derby. Involving 72 patients, the research is trialling the use of an antiviral drug that can be given to those admitted to hospital because of a COVID-19 infection. As most people experience a community infection and are not hospitalised, they do not have a way to access this medication. By taking the drug out of the acute admission setting, the researchers are hoping to see whether it can help those living with long COVID and alleviate some of the symptoms that they are living with. During the trial, patients undergo a series of assessments at the University of Derby’s specialist facilities before attending the hospital to receive the antiviral drug intravenously for five consecutive days, delivered in collaboration with experts from University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust. Researchers from the University of Exeter are also involved, and the study is being managed by the University of Plymouth’s Peninsula Clinical Trials Unit. Professor Maidment will provide support for the clinical trials. Patients recruited in Exeter will undertake detailed body scans, which will be analysed to check if the antiviral medication has reduced inflammation, which may occur in people with long COVID. Mark Faghy, professor in clinical exercise science at the University of Derby and the study lead, said: “The impact long COVID has on the lives of patients is huge. For many, it can be debilitating, interfering with work, family life, and socialising, and millions are suffering across the world. Yet, at present, there are no confirmed treatments for the condition. Five years on from the start of the pandemic, long COVID remains a significant health and societal challenge, which is why this project is so important. “This is an ongoing project with various phases and is still in its infancy, but we are excited to have taken the first steps to hopefully improve the quality of life for those living with long COVID.” Professor David Strain, clinical lead based at the University of Exeter Medical School, said: “There is a clear need for people living with long COVID and we hope from this study we can see a reduction in the symptoms people experience. It will be an ongoing project with various phases, but we are excited to be taking the first steps to improve patients' quality of life.” Professor Ian Maidment, Aston Pharmacy School, said: “We need clinical trials to develop new and effective treatments for long COVID. Pharmacy support is critical for the successful delivery of these studies.” Over the past four years, Professor Faghy and his team at the University of Derby have conducted a series of international studies to explore the impacts of acute and long COVID, looking to understand the causes and contributing factors of long COVID by bringing clinical insight together with the lived experience of patients.

Dr Ian Maidment
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Biography

Ian Maidment is a Professor in Clinical Pharmacy at Aston University. Prior to moving to academia in 2012, he spent 20+ years in practice including community pharmacy and acute pharmacy. The majority of his career was as a specialist clinical pharmacist in dementia care/mental health; he was also chief pharmacist in two NHS Trusts.

He has strong links with the local NHS and the NIHR. Currently, he is joint West Midlands NIHR Community Trust Specialty Lead, member of the NIHR Dementia Portfolio Development Group and joint chair of the Society of Academic Primary Care Medication Optimisation Group.

Since 2014 he has obtained £1,111K in grant income (as chief investigator) including four NIHR grants (MEDREV, MEMORABLE, RESOLVE, MEDIATE); he has also been a co-investigator on a further £3,963K of grants and a NIHR fellowship for which he is the main supervisor [£71K].

His research is focused on medication management in vulnerable populations including mental health and dementia. He has published over 110 papers in peer-reviewed journals including BMJ and the British Journal of Psychiatry and presented at 50+ international conferences/workshops in USA, Australia and most countries in Europe.

Areas of Expertise

Community Pharmacy
Dementia
Pharmacology
Mental Health
Medication Management for Older People

Education

Aston University

PhD

Pharmacy

2013

Medication-related adverse events in older people with dementia; causes and possible solutions

University of Kent

MA

Health Service Research

2010

De Montfort University

Diploma

Psychiatric Pharmacy,

1996

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Affiliations

  • General Pharmaceutical Council : Member
  • Royal Pharmaceutical Society : Founding Member
  • College of Mental Health Pharmacy : Member

Media Appearances

Essential Pharma drops plans to withdraw bipolar drug amid competition investigation

The Times  online

2020-10-06

A drug company accused of trying to rip off taxpayers has halted plans to withdraw a bipolar drug after the competition watchdog opened an investigation into whether it had broken the law.

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Aston Univeristy to research role of community pharmacy during pandemics

Pharmacy Business  online

2020-07-31

“With over 11,700 high street locations, community pharmacies can ensure people from different socio-economic groups and black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups have equal access to vaccination and advice,” academic pharmacist at Aston University Dr Ian Maidment said, adding: “This project will enable us to understand how, why, for whom and when community pharmacy can effectively support the public health response to pandemics such as Covid-19 and other future health emergencies.”

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Research tackles hidden 'tablet overload' as COVID isolation fears grow

Medical Xpress  online

2020-06-04

The team behind the MEMORABLE (MEdication Management in Older people: Realist Approaches Based on Literature and Evaluation) study, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and led by Dr. Ian Maidment, say a new approach rooted in real-world experience is needed to tackle the "unrivalled complexity" many older people and family carers face.

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Research Grants

PERISCOPE: A rapid realist review of community pharmacy support for the public health agenda during the COVID-19 pandemic and future health emergencies

UKRI (Medical Research Council)

Lead Investigator

MEMORABLE

NIHR

2016

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Research for Patient Benefit

NIHR

2014

Improving the Management of Behaviour that Challenges associated with dementia in Care Homes: protocol for pharmacy-health psychology intervention feasibility study (MEDREV)

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Articles

Anticholinergic drugs and incident dementia, mild cognitive impairment and cognitive decline: a meta-analysis

Age and Ageing

2020

Dementia affects more than 40 million people with direct healthcare costs of $818 billion in 2015 [1]. Dementia is characterised by irreversible and progressive cognitive impairment, with consequent disability and dependence. ‘Cognitive impairment’ itself refers to problems with cognitive abilities such as memory, problem solving, learning, perception and language.

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Does the Formulation of Oral Solid Dosage Forms Affect Acceptance and Adherence in Older Patients? A Mixed Methods Systematic Review

Journal of the American Medical Directors Association

2020

Age-related changes mean that the older population can encounter barriers toward taking medication orally. Further work is needed to identify the characteristics of oral solid dosage forms that will improve patient acceptance and adherence. The aim of this systematic review was to identify if and how formulation aspects of oral solid dosage forms affect acceptance and adherence in older people.

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How, why, for whom and in what context, do sexual health clinics provide an environment for safe and supported disclosure of sexual violence: protocol for a realist review

BMJ Open

2020

Supporting people subjected to sexual violence includes provision of sexual and reproductive healthcare. There is a need to ensure an environment for safe and supported disclosure of sexual violence in these clinical settings. The purpose of this research is to gain a deeper understanding of how, why, for whom and in what circumstances safe and supported disclosure occurs in sexual health services.

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