Stobhill Hospital faces calls for “wider” inquiry after unprescribed opiate painkillers were given to dementia patients
A dementia ward where old people were “doped up” with unprescribed painkillers is part of a wider “breakdown” in patient safety.
The claim was made by Labour’s mental health spokesman Paul Sweeney, as he vowed to take up the case with SNP Health Secretary Neil Gray.
The Daily Record revealed on Saturday how patients at the Jura Ward at Stobhill Hospital, Glasgow, were given unprescribed opiates – which one family claimed turned their elderly dad to a “zombie”.
The conduct of staff at the ward is now being investigated in a Serious Adverse Event Review.
But Glasgow MSP Sweeney claims there is now evidence of “a wider breakdown in patient safety” at Stobhill.
He claims there was another similar scandal at Skye House unit at Stobhill Hospital, where young patients were sedated against their will by nurses
Sweeney has now demanded an emergency meeting with health chiefs to discuss patient safety at the hospital.
He spoke out after the Record highlighted the case of George Maguire, 91, who was found to have been given unprescribed opiates, which only came to light after a blood test at another hospital, where a doctor was alarmed at his treatment.
George Maguire’s family were outraged at his sudden deterioration, which left him like a “zombie” and led to serious falls
Sweeney said: “I’m absolutely shocked to hear about this latest incident of unprescribed opiate ‘doping’ of elderly patients.
“Whilst there’s a Serious Adverse Event Review in process at the health board, this speaks to a wider culture of systemic mistreatment and lack of care by the health board, particularly in relation to the wards of Stobhill Hospital, which tend to treat people suffering from addictions, mental health problems or who are elderly and need support.
“We have already heard in recent months about the scandal at Skye House, about young people who were mistreated there, including being sedated against their will.
“There are similarities here, where we see old people being apparently sedated with high strength opiates.”
Sweeney said the circumstances described in the Daily Record speak to wider issues of understaffing, high staff turnover and poor workforce planning.
He said: “Clearly there has been a breakdown in systems of patient safety here. I will be seeking to raise this with the Health Secretary as soon as possible.
“While we await the results of the review, we should have a wider look at mistreatment and poor patient care at Stobhill Hospital, to restore the confidence of the public in this facility.
“Clearly something has gone very badly wrong here.”
George, pictured with wife Margaret and daughters Maureen and Kathleen in Blackpool just two months earlier
The Record revealed that former upholsterer and amateur boxer George Maguire, who suffers from dementia, was found to have been pumped with strong and addictive opiates, despite his family saying no such treatment had been prescribed by doctors.
George’s situation only came to light after he suffered falls and was transferred to Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary, where analysis of his blood revealed the presence of the unprescribed drugs.
His family claim a doctor at the Royal said he could have died within days if the inappropriate medication had continued.
Veronica Gray, director of policy at the Hourglass charity, which campaigns against mistreatment of old people, said she was shocked at the mistreatment that has come to light.
She said: “We are shocked to learn of the dreadful experience of patients in the Jura Ward for older people at Stobhill Hospital.
“Inappropriate use of medication is a serious issue with potentially fatal effects, as seen in previous cases of this type. “It is an outrage that vulnerable, sick older people are subjected to this type of abuse within a hospital – a supposed care setting.
“We welcome the fact that an investigation has commenced, and as we await the findings.”
An NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde spokesperson said: “We can confirm an investigation has been launched into a concerning incident involving a small number of inpatients within one ward at Stobhill Hospital. The safety and well-being of patients in our care is our top priority, and we are deeply sorry for the understandable distress this has caused.”
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