'Medicine errors' hit care homes

A report has found errors are being made in treatment of care home residents

Campaigners have slammed the "shocking" treatment of elderly people living in care homes after research revealed seven out of 10 had been given the wrong drugs or doses.
Overworked staff, poor teamwork and a lack of training were leading to mistakes that could result in discomfort, pain and even death, according to the report.

The study found that staff lacked knowledge of what medicines should be given with food, did not always know how to administer inhalers and did not order adequate supplies of drugs.

Researchers from universities in Leeds, London and Surrey examined data from 256 residents in 55 care homes across England. Each resident was typically taking eight medicines each.

In some cases the medication was mislabelled while in others patients were given the wrong doses or no dose at all. Almost a third (30%) of the drugs which should have been monitored for potentially harmful side-effects were not.

Researchers also carried out interviews with residential care home staff, doctors and pharmacists, finding evidence of doctors who were not accessible and did not know the residents, a high staff workload, a lack of training, drug round interruptions, lack of teamwork, inefficient ordering systems and inaccurate medicine records.

The report said: "It was clear from the interviews that no one took responsibility for the whole system. We often saw well-intentioned people doing their best but in an uncoordinated way."

The report, published in the journal Quality And Safety In Health Care, concluded: "The will to improve exists, but there is a lack of overall responsibility. Action is required from all concerned."

Andrew Harrop, head of policy for Age Concern and Help the Aged, said: "It is shocking that older people are still not receiving the correct help and support to take medication in care homes. Care home residents are entitled to the same standard of GP service as anyone else so errors that occur because the patient is never seen by a GP, or the GP being unfamiliar with their medical history, should not arise."

Peter Walsh, chief executive of Action Against Medical Accidents, said the study was evidence of "age discrimination" and called for the tighter regulation of nursing homes, with regular doctor-led reviews of patient medication and more training for staff.

Yorkshire Post 6th October 2009

If you or anyone you know feels they may be the victim of medical negligence or elderly abuse you may want to seek specialist legal advice.

At YorkshireLawyer.co.uk we can help you find the right solicitor for you in your local area.

For more information click here

<< back