Dyfodol campaigns
We undertake work to advance and highlight areas of necessary focus to Welsh Government and NHS Wales. These areas complement our work programme, and align to our National Conferences.
Our next conference is the National Neurodevelopmental Conditions Conference, which is scheduled to take place at Principality Stadium on the 12th November.
Safe prescribing and monitoring of clozapine
Wim’s Protocol (published by the 黄色仓库 in 2026) is a framework designed to prevent avoidable deaths and serious adverse events associated with clozapine, a highly effective medication for treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
Named in memory of William 'Wim' Northcott, who died following monitoring failures while taking the drug, the protocol was co-produced through collaboration to bridge critical gaps in physical health monitoring.
The Protocol was formally presented by Kate Northcott Spall, and Dr Ed Beveridge at our National Psychosis Conference, held in April 2026.
Wim’s Protocol is a practical guide to safer clozapine care.
It explains what physical health monitoring is needed before and during clozapine treatment, which warning signs may indicate serious side effects, and what action patients, carers, support workers and healthcare professionals should take if concerns arise.
Clozapine is the only antipsychotic medication licensed for treatment-resistant schizophrenia. (This means schizophrenia for which symptoms have not adequately improved after treatment with at least two different antipsychotic medicines.)
For many people, clozapine can be life-changing. It can relieve or resolve symptoms, helping people return to education or employment and reconnect with friends, family and their communities. Across the wider population, clozapine is also associated with increased life expectancy for people with treatment-resistant schizophrenia.
Like all medicines, clozapine can cause adverse effects. Some of clozapine’s adverse effects can be serious and, in rare cases, can be fatal if they are not prevented or detected early enough. Some of the serious adverse effects associated with clozapine include agranulocytosis, constipation and pneumonia, among others.
Concerns about these risks can make clinicians less willing to prescribe clozapine, even when it is indicated. As a result, some people who could benefit from clozapine may miss out. Wim’s Protocol aims to solve this problem.
The purpose of Wim’s Protocol is to strengthen the safety of clozapine treatment through clearer physical health monitoring, while supporting greater clinical confidence in pre scribing so that people who may benefit from clozapine can access it in a timely way.
Wim’s Protocol aims to reduce the risk of serious adverse effects by improving recogni tion of ‘red flag’ physical health symptoms and other contributory factors. This enables clinicians, patients, carers and other key people in a patient’s life to notice potential warning signs and escalate concerns when they arise.
This protocol is intended to inform, not replace, existing local guidance, and to provide core standards for prescribers and other healthcare professionals involved in clozapine care across the UK.