The BBC has recently reported that inspectors at a mental health hospital have said that nurses at Priory Hospital gave medication to a patient by injection when it was supposed to be given orally.
Previous concerns raised at the Priory Hospital East Midlands had still not been fully addressed or resolved according to the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
Currently, the Hospital remains to be rated as inadequate and is in special measures due to the visit last august. However, a spokesman for Priory Group said an action plan had been implemented.
CQC inspection report
After concerns were raised by the CQC about the safety and quality of the service, Priory Hospital was given an unannounced inspection.
The report said:
“We were notified of three recent medicine errors, which involved nurses administering intramuscular injections to a patient. The medicine had not been prescribed by a doctor.
Staff had reported numerous medicine errors. A visiting community pharmacist had identified recent medicines errors.”
The report went on to say how medical errors had not always been identified because of the lack of oversight around medicines management.
“Doctors had not always ensured medicine charts were clear and concise, which increased the risks of errors.”
The inspectors have said that not only are there medication issues but there have also been concerns raised regarding the restraint of people using the service.
The CQC said they served Partnerships in Care Limited (managers of Priory Hospital) a warning notice to ensure major improvements quickly occurred in order for people not to come to any harm.
A spokesman for the hospital said:
“A detailed action plan is in place, implemented by a new hospital manager working with a multi-disciplinary team, who are ensuring all necessary improvements are made. Care plans are audited regularly and we have made robust improvements to our medicines management processes, including the planned introduction of electronic prescribing and ensuring that all lessons are learned across the hospital.”
Comment
It is very worrying to learn that doctors at this Hospital have not always ensured medicine charts were clear and the risk this could put to patients’ health.
It is now imperative for patient safety that Priory Hospital make rapid improvements, it is likely that the CQC will also conduct a further inspection to ensure no patients come to harm.
How can we help
Helen Wilkinson is a Paralegal in our expert Medical Negligence team, which has been ranked in tier one by the independently researched publication, The Legal 500.
If you have any questions in relation to the subjects discussed in this article, then please get in touch with Helen or another member of the team in Derby, Leicester, or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.
Contact us