AIBU to very angry with GP and nurse

[Sunnyday1203]

So dad has dementia and has a memory span for about 10 mins. He recently had a fall and his GP did a home visit and prescribed Pain killers, he was bed bound and lived on his own. He was left with a pack of pills and took 18 Paracetamol l in 12 hours, so ambulance called he refused to go to hospital. (carer found him) His GP knows him well, just can't believe he could be so thoughtless. Fast forward dad now in hospital and turns out he has a fractured Coccyx, he has been in 2 weeks and about to be discharged to a home, I was checking through is bag and found a box of different pills and did not recognise them, so did a bit of research and very very strong meds, on closer inspection these meds are not my dads. If he had taken then thinking they were his he would have died. Nurse said sorry when I questioned here, but really AIBU thinking they are trying to bump him off. I am appalled and worried that this can happen

I doubt they are being intentionally shit. May be worth raising a Co plaint though.

Could he have picked them up from somewhere? If his dementia is as advanced as it seems to be could you get a locking medicine cabinet that only you and the nurse have the key for (or hide the key and tell her where it is). It would stop him accidentally taking too many.

They’re not trying to bump him off.

FASH he is not mobile so could not have picked them up, nurse admitted she put them in his bag and apologised. Exactly re lockable cabinet he had one in his rooms at hospital.

Make a formal complaint to the practice.

Yes it is pretty shit treatment I agree. I would certainly mention it - his meds need to be hidden and given to him when needed by his carers. My Dad had alzheimers and would definitely have eaten a whole packet of pills/ or taken none at all if left to his own devices.

When my Dad was in hospital they managed to lose all the clothes he came in with (my Mum had to buy a whole new set so he didn;t have to go home in his PJ's) they kept saying he'd 'had a drink' when in fact they had just plonked a drink in front of him, which he was unable to drink without help (then they would take it away undrunk and he was getting dehydrated) and he managed to catch scabies while he was in there which was awful.

I think hospitals with staff shortages simply don;t have the time to spend with elderly dementia patients - they have very specialist needs. I hope your Dad is recovering from his fall

I'd make a formal complaint.

I’d complain too. Despite all the awareness raising around dementia, the message doesn’t seem to get through to a lot of health care professionals and their support staff.

I'd make a formal complaint. Their negligence has placed him in danger of death not once but twice.

Kurri oh dear that is awful, your poor dad. I think dementia is not understood by a lot of people working in hospital. The nurse who left the pills in his bag did look pretty mortified and hope that will be wake up call. He is in specialist ward now waiting for discharge but to be fair they are not great. I just hope we can find a home that will take him now before anything else happens

I'm confused about the strong medication in his hospital bag? That would have to be prescribed by a doctor so would have the patient's name on the printed label. So it wasn't your father's name? Or were they painkillers for your dad's back to be administered by the home he's going to?

The upside of your dad's recent fall and accidental overdose is that it's clearly established that he can't live on his own and needs a residential home with dementia carers. That should give you some peace of mind that he'll now be given 24 hour care.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Dementia slowly robs you of a parent and it's painful and traumatic to experience
Don't transfer your hurt and anger surrounding your dad's illness to the medical staff who undoubtedly have your dad's best interests in mind.
I think an accusation of a nurse or doctor planting drugs to kill your dad is a very serious one, perhaps fuelled by your heightened emotions.

The doctor could’ve thought that there was someone caring for him so didn’t think he would take all of his pills like that people with dementia need more than just carers coming in to check on them anything could’ve happened to him while he was on his own.

Just seen that you need to find a home that will take him. Is that down to you to research or will the hospital advise?

It might be worth asking on the Elderly Parents or Dementia boards on here where there will be posters who have experience of your situation.

I think an accusation of a nurse or doctor planting drugs to kill your dad is a very serious one, perhaps fuelled by your heightened emotions.

This ^^

So the GP prescribed them, how did your Dad get the prescription? From the chemist? Delivery?
Who lives with your Dad?
Did the nurse or anyone come up with explanation of how someone else's medication got into his bag?

I absolutely don't think they were trying to kill him. But the nurse was very careless with those drugs not belonging to him, and I would make a complaint about this to ensure systems are put in place so it can't happen again. It's called a 'near miss event'.

The paracetamol overdose was entirely separate, and unfortunate. I think you need to review your father's capacity with GP and carers and discuss safeguards around medication. No idea what, but sure it's not the first time they've faced a problem like this. Maybe keep them in a locked cabinet and only you/carer has a key?

Sorry xpost/ didn't read the bit where you said nurse admitted she made a mistake.

It’s the GP’s responsibility to ascertain DF’s mental capacity and his carer regime. There is no excuse for leaving that paracetamol with him. Of course you must complain because he musn’t do it to someone else.

No idea what, but sure it's not the first time they've faced a problem like this.

With dementia patients? Of course it’s not.

And if this GP has so little experience of dementia he needs further training.

So sorry that you are losing your Dad to dementia.
Hospitals are a bit haphazard at the best of times.
I know that they shouldn't be but they are.
I imagine that the GP thinks your Father has more care and supervision than is currently in place.
Perhaps there is someone on here who has been through this and can cut through to the important information that you now need.

My experience of hospitals and home care is long and tedious.
Things do not go how we imagine they will and mistakes are dangerous and plentiful. Never malicious though.

Whilst I appreciate you are upset, I think you are absolutely unreasonable to accuse medical professionals of attempting to end someone's life.

If gp not sure can refer to specialist in elders care for assessment.

Speak to PALS at the hospital and consider making a formal complaint.

Things like this need to be flagged up and logged. It's the best way to instigate change in the NHS. I am pretty certain that it wasn't intentional. Staff are human and make mistakes I'm afraid.

I imagine the GP presumed his family would be caring for him and monitoring his medication use - they aren’t to know that he is left on his own.

Were there no carers or family in attendance when the gp was called out for a home visit when your poor dad had his fall? I was assuming there were others present who the gp would have deferred to when giving the paracetamol. Maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick.
I mean who arranged the gp visit?

With dementia + medication you can’t presume anything.

Just leaving the meds there was risky in itself. The GP should have contacted the family or the carer and given the meds to them. He could have left DF with one dose, and instructed the family or carer to pick up the rest from the surgery for example.