Pharmacists fight 'chemical cosh' of elderly

PHARMACISTS have demanded a more central role in monitoring the drugs given to care home residents following growing concern over the use of medication in older people.

A number of reports have raised fears that some sedative drugs are over-used in care homes, particularly in people with dementia, as well as concerns about side-effects among those taking many medicines.

Now Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) has written to health secretary Nicola Sturgeon asking for a meeting to discuss how pharmacists could be more involved in the use of drugs in care homes.

The body said it had concerns that improvements were needed in the monitoring of drugs to make sure Scotland's 33,600 care home residents were getting the best treatment.

Harry McQuillan, the chief executive of CPS, said: "We have written to the minister asking to meet to discuss how community pharmacists can help deliver more appropriate and more consistent pharmaceutical care to the residents.

"There is concern that this is an area of healthcare which does require improvement.

"We can help across the spectrum in this area, in providing improved training and medicines storage procedures, in improved tracking of prescribed medicines and in better and more regular reviews of medications being prescribed for individual patients."

In recent years a number of concerns have emerged over use of drugs among elderly people, including the so-called "chemical cosh" - sedative medication sometimes given just to keep residents quiet in care homes and hospitals.

In May, a report by the Mental Welfare Commission criticised the care of an elderly dementia patient who was given almost 100 sedatives in the last 16 days of her life in a Scottish hospital.

Elspeth Weir, the head of policy and development at CPS, said pharmacists were currently involved in dispensing and supplying prescriptions to residents, as well as giving advice to care homes on the safe storage of medicines.

But she said they saw themselves as being able to help in other ways, such as monitoring drugs to make sure they were appropriate and reduce the risk of mistakes.

"There are some studies out there showing that people in care homes do have a lot of medication," she said.

"They are at particular risk from medication errors and we would just like to work to make sure that the incidence of errors is minimised."

Asked about the inappropriate use of "chemical cosh" drugs, Ms Weir said: "I think it is something that, if you were looking at the medication and if there were any concerns, these could be flagged up."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Already pharmacists provide a clinical check to ensure the appropriateness of the medicines they are dispensing. However, we are working with health boards to develop the role of pharmacists to specialise in the pharmaceutical care of the elderly. In addition we will enter into discussions with pharmacists on their further role in this area."