Police
and security guards are called out to deal with vulnerable dementia patients
four times a day, figures reveal.
They
are increasingly summoned by hospital and care homes staff struggling to cope.
One
frightened patient was handcuffed to his hospital bed and told he had caused
‘criminal damage’ for accidentally knocking over an oxygen cylinder.
Several
hospital trusts say they routinely summon security guards when patients wander
off down the corridor, say they want to go home or are unwilling to go to
bed.
Experts
say such forceful measures should be used only as a ‘last resort’ and that it
is far better to sit patients down and talk to them reassuringly over a cup of
tea.
Figures
obtained by the Mail under the Freedom of Information Act show police and
security guards were summoned by hospitals and care homes to deal with dementia
sufferers on 1,378 occasions in 2015.
But
these are almost certainly just the tip of the iceberg as three quarters of
forces and hospitals did not record data, or failed to supply it.
The
investigation coincides with a report by the Alzheimer’s Society revealing how
thousands of sufferers are putting off diagnosis by up to a year. It says
dementia is the most feared illness in the UK with two thirds believing their
life would be over if they were diagnosed.
The
charity’s George McNamara said: ‘It is deeply worrying that police and security
guards are being called in to restrain people with dementia so frequently. This
would be distressing for anybody, let alone a person with dementia who may be
confused and frightened.
‘Use
of force should only ever be a last resort … Aggressive behaviour might be a
sign of a person with dementia’s discomfort, pain, or lack of stimulation when
they aren’t able to communicate.’
A
dementia sufferer’s daughter has told how he was restrained by police three
times, when all he needed was to be calmed down with a cup of tea.
On
one occasion David Steele, 64, was handcuffed to his bed at Tameside Hospital,
Greater Manchester, and was told he had caused ‘criminal damage’ for
accidentally knocking over an oxygen cylinder.
Daughter
Jill Parr, 50, said he was in agony as a result of an abscess but was unable to
tell staff because of his condition.
She
added: ‘The staff there had no idea how to treat someone with dementia. The
ward weren’t giving him his medication, they weren’t giving him his food … just
leaving it next to his bed … They treated him like a criminal.’
Caroline
Abrahams of Age UK said: ‘It’s hard to imagine just how frightening and
upsetting it must be for an older person with dementia to be forcibly
restrained.
‘Our
common humanity as well as good professional practice demands that older people
with dementia are only restrained when absolutely unavoidable … these rising
figures surely call this seriously into question.’
The
frequency of call-outs exposes a lack of training among doctors, nurses and
care home staff on how to cope with dementia symptoms.
About
850,000 adults in Britain have the illness and the figure is expected to double
in 40 years as the population ages.
Last
year the Government announced mandatory dementia training for all NHS staff,
including porters and cleaners, to enable Britain to become a world leader in
tacking the condition. But relatives say many nurses still regard sufferers as
troublemakers.
One
hospital trust, Luton and Dunstable in Bedfordshire, said security guards were
summoned if patients said they wanted to leave, were confused or refused to go
to bed.
Others
including North Cumbria and Rotherham call security if patients wander off down
wards.
Figures
from 153 hospital trusts in England show security guards were summoned on 790
occasions last year. But fewer than a quarter were able to supply data
suggesting the true numbers may be four times higher.
A
similar investigation for 2014 showed they had been summoned only 320 times
over a two-year period. The huge rise may be due partly to better recording of
the call-outs. Figures from police show they attended hospitals to deal with
dementia patients 144 times in 2015 and to care homes on 444 occasions. But
only 8 of the 39 forces supplied data as most do not record specific incidents.
Katherine
Murphy of the Patients Association said: ‘This is hugely distressing for
dementia patients … We don’t have enough staff with the compassion and special
skills that these patients need.’
A
Department of Health spokesman said: ‘The safety and dignity of patients is
vital and we have issued guidance to help staff understand challenging
behaviour and create compassionate caring environments.
‘It
is sometimes necessary to use restraint to stop someone hurting themselves or
others, but we agree this should only ever be a last resort.’
SOURCE: Daily Mail Online
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