AGXStarseed
Well-Known Member
(Not written by me)
Health offiicals have ordered an urgent summit after landmark research found 35,000 people with learning disabilities and autism are being put on antipsychotic medication and anti-depressants
More than 30,000 people with learning disabilities and autism are being wrongly prescribed dangerous drugs which act as a “chemical cosh”.
Health officials have promised urgent action after research uncovered thousands of vulnerable people being put on medication which can shorten lives.
The national audit of prescribing was ordered followed the scandal of Winterbourne View, where people with learning disabilities were tortured and forcibly sedated.
NHS England said it was “completely unacceptable” that vulnerable people were being left on the drugs for years, without proper checks to see if the medication was suitable.
In recent years there has been concern about the use of antipsychotic drugs for patients with dementia, with research showing the medication can increase the risks of stroke and death.
The new research led by Public Health England (PHE) estimates that up to 35,000 adults with a learning disability or autism are being prescribed an anti-psychotic, an anti-depressant or both without appropriate clinical justification.
Some children were also being put on unsuitable drugs, the audit of GPs’ prescribing found.
The review established that 58 per cent of adults receiving anti-psychotics and 32 per cent of those receiving anti-depressants had no relevant diagnosis recorded.
In more than one in 20 cases, those placed on anti-psychotics were on doses above the recommended dose.
Dan Scorer, head of policy at Mencap, said: "The research findings issued today by the NHS shine a light on the shocking scale of the inappropriate use of medication.
"It is simply outrageous that up to 35,000 adults with a learning disability are being prescribed an anti-psychotic, an anti-depressant or both without appropriate clinical justification."
In a joint statement with Viv Cooper, chief executive at the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, he added: "This confirms what we have heard from families time and time again about their loved ones being given high levels of anti-depressant or anti-psychotic medication, often for years.
"In many cases families report serious side effects and no evidence that the medication is helping the individual.
"Fundamental changes must now be delivered, addressing a widespread culture of 'chemical restraint', and replacing it with individualised behaviour support."
Dominic Slowie, NHS England's national clinical director for learning disabilities, said: "This is a historic problem, but one that nobody knew the true scale of; that's why we worked with patients, carers and professionals to get to the bottom of the issues once and for all.
"These medicines can be helpful when used appropriately and kept under review, but the prevalence and the lack of review or challenge that these reports have highlighted is completely unacceptable, and we are determined to take action to protect this group of patients from over-medication."
Carol Povey, Director of the National Autistic Society's (NAS) Centre for Autism, said: "The high number of people on the autism spectrum being prescribed psychotropic drugs like antidepressants and antipsychotics is concerning and must be addressed urgently. Figures from one of the reports reveal that autistic adults are prescribed antipsychotic medication at roughly 10 times the rate of the general population."
Health officials will hold an urgent summit on the matter later this week, following the emergence of three reports from PHE, the Care Quality Commission and NHS Improving Quality into the concerns.
The audit found that that in the "majority of cases" there was no clear justification for the use of antipsychotic and antidepressant medication to those with learning disabilities.
NHS England has published information on its website for concerned patients and family members.
Officials said they were considering issuing a patient safety alert to ensure that frontline clinicians and other health professionals are aware of the concerns.
NHS England has come under fire for failing to keep promises to move thousands of people out of long stay institutions.
Thousands of vulnerable disabled people are still languishing in Victorian-style “asylums” a year after most were expected to be closed, an official review found this week.
More than half of them are in large institutions over 100 miles from their families, increasing their sense of isolation and loneliness.
The Government pledged that all patients would be reviewed by June 2013, with a view to placing anyone being treated "inappropriately" in hospital into community-based support by June last year.
SOURCE: More than 30,000 people with autism and learning disabilities 'under the chemical cosh' - Telegraph
Health offiicals have ordered an urgent summit after landmark research found 35,000 people with learning disabilities and autism are being put on antipsychotic medication and anti-depressants
More than 30,000 people with learning disabilities and autism are being wrongly prescribed dangerous drugs which act as a “chemical cosh”.
Health officials have promised urgent action after research uncovered thousands of vulnerable people being put on medication which can shorten lives.
The national audit of prescribing was ordered followed the scandal of Winterbourne View, where people with learning disabilities were tortured and forcibly sedated.
NHS England said it was “completely unacceptable” that vulnerable people were being left on the drugs for years, without proper checks to see if the medication was suitable.
In recent years there has been concern about the use of antipsychotic drugs for patients with dementia, with research showing the medication can increase the risks of stroke and death.
The new research led by Public Health England (PHE) estimates that up to 35,000 adults with a learning disability or autism are being prescribed an anti-psychotic, an anti-depressant or both without appropriate clinical justification.
Some children were also being put on unsuitable drugs, the audit of GPs’ prescribing found.
The review established that 58 per cent of adults receiving anti-psychotics and 32 per cent of those receiving anti-depressants had no relevant diagnosis recorded.
In more than one in 20 cases, those placed on anti-psychotics were on doses above the recommended dose.
Dan Scorer, head of policy at Mencap, said: "The research findings issued today by the NHS shine a light on the shocking scale of the inappropriate use of medication.
"It is simply outrageous that up to 35,000 adults with a learning disability are being prescribed an anti-psychotic, an anti-depressant or both without appropriate clinical justification."
In a joint statement with Viv Cooper, chief executive at the Challenging Behaviour Foundation, he added: "This confirms what we have heard from families time and time again about their loved ones being given high levels of anti-depressant or anti-psychotic medication, often for years.
"In many cases families report serious side effects and no evidence that the medication is helping the individual.
"Fundamental changes must now be delivered, addressing a widespread culture of 'chemical restraint', and replacing it with individualised behaviour support."
Dominic Slowie, NHS England's national clinical director for learning disabilities, said: "This is a historic problem, but one that nobody knew the true scale of; that's why we worked with patients, carers and professionals to get to the bottom of the issues once and for all.
"These medicines can be helpful when used appropriately and kept under review, but the prevalence and the lack of review or challenge that these reports have highlighted is completely unacceptable, and we are determined to take action to protect this group of patients from over-medication."
Carol Povey, Director of the National Autistic Society's (NAS) Centre for Autism, said: "The high number of people on the autism spectrum being prescribed psychotropic drugs like antidepressants and antipsychotics is concerning and must be addressed urgently. Figures from one of the reports reveal that autistic adults are prescribed antipsychotic medication at roughly 10 times the rate of the general population."
Health officials will hold an urgent summit on the matter later this week, following the emergence of three reports from PHE, the Care Quality Commission and NHS Improving Quality into the concerns.
The audit found that that in the "majority of cases" there was no clear justification for the use of antipsychotic and antidepressant medication to those with learning disabilities.
NHS England has published information on its website for concerned patients and family members.
Officials said they were considering issuing a patient safety alert to ensure that frontline clinicians and other health professionals are aware of the concerns.
NHS England has come under fire for failing to keep promises to move thousands of people out of long stay institutions.
Thousands of vulnerable disabled people are still languishing in Victorian-style “asylums” a year after most were expected to be closed, an official review found this week.
More than half of them are in large institutions over 100 miles from their families, increasing their sense of isolation and loneliness.
The Government pledged that all patients would be reviewed by June 2013, with a view to placing anyone being treated "inappropriately" in hospital into community-based support by June last year.
SOURCE: More than 30,000 people with autism and learning disabilities 'under the chemical cosh' - Telegraph
