A delayed review commissioned by the Department of Health has found that up to 150,000 people with dementia are wrongly being prescribed powerful sedatives to calm them down. As a result nearly 1,500 of them have sadly died.
The review, conducted by Professor Sube Bannerjee, found that anti-psychotic drugs are routinely prescribed in contravention of guidelines issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE says that anti-psychotic drugs should only be used when a person is a risk to themselves or others and where all other methods have been tried, and then only for a period of three months.
The report recommends that the rate of use of anti-psychotic drugs could be cut to one third of its current level. About 700,000 people in Britain are suffering from some kind of dementia, of which Alzheimer's disease is the most common form, but this number is likely to increase with the cost of treating patients with dementia being in the billions.
The spotlight is also pointed towards care homes to ensure that they are administering medication appropriately and only when absolutely necessary rather than to make patients more compliant or less distressed. The focus should be on looking at all possible causes without turning to anti-psychotic medication as a first line of treatment.
John Vallance of the Patient Rights and Healthcare Team at Wake Smith & Tofields comments, "It is vital that anyone who provides healthcare to an elderly member of the community ensures that medication is prescribed only when absolutely necessary. There appears to have been a tendency to medicate first and ask questions later and this report highlights the fact that such an approach is harmful to the patient and can lead to devastating consequences.
"Any prescriber of medicine must ensure that it is done appropriately and only after following an adequate assessment of the patient's needs. In particular, where there is long term prescribing, this must be supported with regular reviews as the patient's needs and/or diagnosis may change over time. Where patients have suffered harm from inappropriate treatment there may be a basis for bringing a claim for compensation".
If you are concerned with the above issues and wish to speak to someone (in confidence) about your legal rights please contact our Patient Rights and Healthcare team on 0114 266 6660 or email [email protected].
