Woman, 80, 'given too many drugs in final days'

AN ELDERLY woman with dementia was given an "unacceptably high" number of sedative and antipsychotic drugs during the last days of her life, a report has found.

The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland said the woman - referred to as Mrs V - was not given the care, dignity and respect she deserved during the 16 days before her death from pneumonia.

Their report said it could be argued Mrs V's rights to privacy and dignity, and to be free from degrading treatment - guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights - had been infringed.

The commission investigated Mrs V's treatment at an unnamed Scottish hospital in December 2008 before her death, aged 80. Because of her dementia, she was subject to a compulsory treatment order.

Due to her difficult behaviour, staff used antipsychotic and sedative drugs.

The report said in the 16 days before her death Mrs V was given "repeated, uncomfortable and undignified administrations of sedative medication" - 29 injections, 57 doses of rectal diazepam and a further nine oral doses of drugs.

The commission said that Mrs V received an average of two injections of sedative medication per day, and about four administrations of sedation rectally each day.

"The number of times medication was given rectally or by injection was unacceptably high," the report said.

"Everyone we spoke to accepted this, but nobody looked critically enough at the use of medication at the time."

The report also said that because Mrs V had difficulty swallowing, she received no food.

This resulted in her being greatly distressed when she saw others eating, the commission added.