The family of George Maguire, 91, say he quickly descended into near catatonic state soon after admission to Stobhill Hospital where he was given unprescribed opiate medicine.
The family of George Maguire, 91, were shocked at the way his condition changed after his admission to the Jura Ward just after Christmas
A hospital ward is under investigation after claims that elderly patients were left like “zombies” after being “doped-up” with unprescribed painkillers. Families affected at the Jura Ward at Stobhill Hospital in Glasgow have received apologies from health chiefs over the “doping incident” and told that a Serious Adverse Event Review has been launched.
And Age Scotland chief executive Katherine Crawford last night called the treatment of patients “deeply alarming” and said the hospital has “serious questions” to answer. The scandal erupted after former amateur boxer George Maguire, 91, 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 unprescribed opiates. His family claim a doctor at the Royal said he could have died within days if the inappropriate medication had continued.
Stobhill Hospital
George’s family were called to an emergency meeting at Stobhill Hospital on Monday, where a consultant told them that something “very wrong” had happened during his seven weeks there, following his admission on December 27. His daughter Maureen Cahill, a retired nurse, told the Daily Record: “Dad is old and suffering from dementia but in the space of a few days the spark had gone from his eyes and he was like a zombie.
“When I walked into the ward I looked at other patients, who were younger than him, and thought it was like a scene from a zombie movie. I wondered what on earth had happened to him. As a nurse myself, it seemed very stranger that he had done downhill so fast.
“He was very dehydrated and nurses had marked on his noted that he had refused fluid, which we thought was odd, as he always drank a bit when we visited him. But when we realised what medication they were giving him it all made sense – he wasn’t able to drink because he was almost catatonic.”
George, pictured with wife Margaret and daughters Maureen and Kathleen in Blackpool just two months earlier
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde last night told the Daily Record that a Serious Adverse Event Review had been launched after a group of elderly patients were affected. Patient’s families were called to the hospital and given personal apologies for the treatment.
The 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 wellbeing of patients in our care is our top priority, and we are deeply sorry for the understandable distress this has caused.
“A Serious Adverse Event Review will be undertaken as a matter of priority and immediate assurance work across all mental health wards in Stobhill is ongoing but has not highlighted any further concerns to date.“ The spokesperson said families of the affected patients have been informed, and apologised to directly.
They added: “We are committed to maintaining open communication and will continue to keep families involved and informed as our investigation progresses. We would also encourage them to contact us with any further questions they may have.”
The NHS trust would not address claims that some staff members had been taken out of the unit, which has remained open. Age Scotland chief executive Katherine Crawford said the hospital has “serious questions” to answer.
George was a well known boxer and trainer – here meeting Princess Margaret at a gym in Glasgow in the 1970s
She said: “This is deeply alarming and will be incredibly upsetting for the patients and families involved. I cannot fathom how such powerful drugs could be given to vulnerable patients without prescription.
“There are serious questions for the hospital to answer, and it’s vital an urgent investigation gets to grips with how on earth this has happened, the impact on patients and the scale of their use.”
George, from Bishopbriggs, is now being looked after at a nursing home near his home, where he is showing signs of improvement. Maureen, 67, said a consultant at Stobhill had told her that an inquiry is underway into what happened to her dad.
She said: “When my mum went in the consultant was very serious and said he wanted her to sit down. They said he had been given opiates that weren’t prescribed and that a major investigation was taking place. He told her that dad had been treated atrociously.
“He said that staff had been removed from the ward while they got to be bottom of who decided what medication dad was given. I believe they were looking at what other patients in the ward were also being given and who was responsible for making those decisions if it wasn’t the doctors.”
George and Margaret in Blackpool in late 2025
Maureen said that when they asked nurses why he was so exhausted all the time she was told it was just a symptom of the dementia. George had fallen several times and, amid fears of a broken hip, he was taken to the Royal Infirmary in an ambulance.
Maureen said: “The nursing home staff told me that the Jura Ward had ben shaken up, that staff had been moved out of it. The impression we were given was that dad’s case has triggered a look at what was given to other patients.
“One doctor who saw him last week said that when he walked in and saw him he was absolutely shocked. He said his wasn’t the George Maguire he’d admitted seven weeks earlier.”
Maureen said she feared that patients were being given super strong opiates – like morphine – to calm them down and make them docile. She said: “I’m concerned that they were giving opiates to the patients that maybe were a wee bit noisy at times. We don’t know what happened but we do want answers.”
In Maureen’s opinion, George has been showing signs of being ‘cold turkey’ this week – with jitters and sleeping a lot. She added: “On Thursday he was sitting talking to somebody, which sounds a lot more like him.
“He’s a sociable man and he was a boxer and still likes to talk about that. We don’t know how long he has left but we’re angry that he has been put through this because a 91-year-old man who’s had a life like my dad’s should never have been treated so badly when in the hands of professional people that we trusted.”
George was able to keep active despite his dementia
George’s other daughter Kathleen sent photos of her dad during a recent trip to Blackpool, where he was able to have a good time with Margaret and his two daughters. She said: “The change in his condition in a few weeks was terrible. I know old people can go downhill in hospital but this didn’t seem right.
“He was so weak and when I looked at his record it said that he had been refusing fluids. That was strange to me but it’s consistent with him being so exhausted. You could see in his face that something terrible was going on.
“His mouth was hanging open, all slack, and his eyes were dead. He was weak as a kitten, so it’s no wonder he was falling over.”
She added: “When I visited it was impossible to wake him – so it looked very much like he’d been drugged. It was actually a mercy when he fell and they thought he’d broken his hip, as that got him out of there and into the hands of doctors at the Royal, who got to the bottom of things.”
George had been a talented boxer in his younger days and went on to be a respected trainer at a boxing gym in Sighthill, which was visited by Princess Margaret in the late 1970s.
A spokesperson for Hourglass charity added: “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, we encourage anyone with concerns about an older loved one to contact Hourglass’ 24/7 freephone Helpline on 0808 808 8141.”
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