Mental health patients not told of side effects
Over a third of people with schizophrenia are given no information about the side effects of their medicines, a
review of community mental health services in England has found.
The Healthcare Commission and Commission for Social Care Inspection review,
published this week, includes a survey of 7,446 people with schizophrenia
or suspected schizophrenia. Of those questioned, 38 per cent reported
that they were “definitely” told about the possible side
effects of their medicines, but 34 per cent said that they were not told
at all; 42 per cent reported that they had “definitely” had
a say in decisions about their medication.
The survey also looked at the performance of 174 local implementation
teams (LITs), which are responsible for ensuring community mental health
services meet the needs of local people. Only 16 per cent of LITs had “good” or “excellent” scores
for providing appropriate medicine regimens — 75 per cent had “fair” scores
and 9 per cent were scored as “weak”.
The review makes recommendations to ensure that safe and effective services
are commissioned. It suggests that primary care trusts and mental health
trusts should review existing arrangements. “Audit of the management
of medicines should be used to self-assure and to measure ongoing performance
in this area,” the review says.
“People using services must
be involved in the management of their own medicines, and advised of
the choices available to them. They should also be given information
about possible side effects and procedures for reviewing treatments.” |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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