Shadow Health Stephen O'Brien has said it's a tragedy that so many elderly people every year are being treated inappropriately with anti-psychotic drugs, and that thousands have died unnecessarily as a result
A report for the Department of Health by Professor Sube Banerjee has found that 1,800 people a year are dying due to over prescription of anti-psychotics.
O’Brien criticised the report's delay of over a year, saying that "lives could have been saved" if Labour Ministers had not put it off. Now that it has been published, he called on the Government to act swiftly to implement the recommendations.
"Better training for staff and GPs, greater involvement of family members and more regular assessments of whether the drugs are appropriate are all key", he said, adding that the Government must also ensure that the Care Quality Commission regulation is working in the best interests of care home residents.
"Above all", he said, the report highlights "how badly our society has let down its elderly people in need of care", and that "we must all strive to ensure that the lessons are learnt so that it can never happen again".