19/01/2014
Shocking figures have revealed that more two thirds of care homes and hospitals are routinely breaking the law by putting elderly residents in restraints, and preventing them from seeing their loved ones.
Protocols are in place to prevent this sort of treatment apart from in a very few cases where restraints are deemed to be necessary. The rising increase in the numbers of those who are being physically locked up, refused daily activities and prevented from seeing their families means that these protocols are not being correctly followed or monitored.
Care workers should only restrict the freedoms of those that are very vulnerable and need protection for their own benefit. If such measures are taken, the care provider is supposed to inform the regulators, but in two thirds of the cases figures show that this had not been done, which is illegal.
Thousands of care home residents have been the subject of applications for deprivation of their freedom, with an 85 per cent rise in the figures since 2009/10. Of the 7000 applications made in 2012/13, more than half went ahead. Last year almost 12,000 applications were made, many involving sufferers of dementia. The measures involve some patients being given medication against their will, and having all their decisions about care, treatment and visitors being made by staff on their behalf. Staff can also decide whether a patient is fit to be cared for elsewhere and restrict the access they have to their relatives.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has released these worrying figures about the “Deprivation of liberty safeguards (Dols),” which were brought in to protect those who suffer from mental health issues from being locked up without justification. The statistics show a lack of understanding by care provider staff about the safeguards and that the procedures are often not being followed correctly. The CQC has vowed to check on the use of these orders when carrying out future inspections on care homes and hospitals. Their inspections will focus on reducing these sorts of restrictions on vulnerable people and ensuring that those who lack capacity receive a high standard of care.
