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Care homes turn to chemical cocktails to manage residents
January 23, 2004 12:53 PM
Commenting on evidence given to the Common's Health Committee, which reveals that more than half of care homes fail to give medication correctly, Paul Burstow MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Health Secretary and member of the Health Committee, said:
"Over medication of older people is abuse. It can result in death and it denies older people their dignity. "Despite mounting evidence that older people are the victims of a chemical cosh in care homes, Ministers have failed to get a grip of the problem. "With serious shortages in specialist staff and little chance of attracting more, the evidence is that care homes are turning to chemical cocktails to make residents easier to manage. "More frequent reviews of medication in care homes, better documentation of prescribing, tougher requirements on the number of trained staff, and a new criminal offence of neglect of a vulnerable adult are the essential components of a strategy to tackle the abuse of older people."
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