Patient injected with antipsychotic drugs in human rights breach

Patient injected with antipsychotic drugs in human rights breach


Hospital apologises after Public Service Ombudsman issues report into handling of elderly patient.

.By Nick Eardly

http://news.stv.tv/scotland/198857-abereen-royal-infimrary-criticsed-for-breaching-human-rights/

22 September 2010 12:57 GMT

Comment....198857

Aberdeen Royal Infrimary: Failed to follow guidelines Pic: © STV



Medical staff have apologised after injecting a patient with antipsychotic drugs against her will in a breach of her human rights.



The Scottish Public Service Ombudsman has issued a critical report over the handling of the elderly patient at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary in February last year.



The report said the patient was injected with drugs by medical staff at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary against her will.



It also says staff did not follow necessary procedures in dealing with the patient and failed to properly handle a subsequent complaint.







The watchdog said NHS Grampian needs to be provide staff with better training.



The protest was made after a woman, referred to in the report as "Mrs A", was admitted to hospital after collapsing. She refused antibiotics, but was given an injection instead.



The report says that there is no evidence that steps were taken to gain permission to administer the drugs.



It adds that staff failed to document how they reached a decision to administer the drugs, saying there is no evidence that they believed she was in an unfit state to make a decision on her care. This documentation is required by law.



Ombudsman Jim Martin also took the unusual step of commenting on the findings of the report. He said: "There is no dispute about the facts of the case. In a nutshell, a distressed woman was injected with antipsychotic drugs by hospital staff against her will.



“There is no documentation to show that this action was properly assessed in advance, or properly recorded after the event.”



In the report, it is suggested that hospital staff may have taken steps to administer drugs in order to restrain the woman after she became agitated.



Mr Martin added: “I accept that there are times when restrain is justified. What is unacceptable is for health practitioners not to show proper understanding of the legislation and policies that exist to ensure that patients’ human rights are not breached. I believe in this case they were.”



The body also recommends that NHS Grampian apologise to the woman involved for their handling of the case.



Mr Martin added: “Health boards have a duty to provide staff with the right information and training that will enable staff, when difficult situations arise, to make the right split second decision. Health professionals working in stressful situations need to be well equipped and supported.”



A spokesperson for NHS Grampian said: “The board has accepted the ombudsman's report and is currently developing an action plan to address its recommendations. The plan will be submitted to the ombudsman.



"A formal apology will be issued to Mrs A.



"NHS Grampian fully supports patients rights to chose treatment and we are fully aware of our responsibilities under the Mental Health Act and Adults with Incapacity Act. It remains our view that we acted in the best interests of the patient and that she received appropriate clinical care.



"However we are sorry that in this case our record keeping was not ideal and we did not complete the documentation necessary under the Adults with Incapacity Act."