Missing medication - concerned there’s a thief.

[missingmeds]

NC for this. I oversee the care for my dad and he’s got a couple of controlled drugs on prescription. He has carers 3 times a day but last month and this month particularly, we realised his supply of both drugs has run short before the new prescription was due.

We keep all his drugs in labelled drawers but this week I (accidentally) left an unopened box out on a table. When I went today, the (previously sealed) box was open and 5 strips were missing. My dad has definitely not used them as I put all of his drugs into pill pots for him and I have a good mental inventory of how many he should have. In any event there’s no way he’d have gotten through 5 strips in a few days.

The shortage from last month was because my dad now recalls leaving a couple of strips in the bathroom and discovering later one was no longer there.

The only people in the house are carers plus trusted family and it seems this has only started in the last 2 months, which is also the same time that we brought in a new agency.

I’m now going to buy a lockable box but the bigger issue is the feeling that someone might not be trustworthy.

We don’t want to put a camera in the house but it makes me think do we have to start locking everything up? Should I perhaps set some kind of challenge - leave a box out and track it each day to see if any go missing? Should I raise concerns with the agency? It’s a very serious thing to allege so I’m a little reluctant. Or should I just lock all the drugs up and hope the problem is solved?

Wonder if anyone else has experienced anything like this? It’s an awful feeling to think someone might be stealing from an elderly person’s home.

You have to raise it with the agency. A thief/drug taker is not a good person to be doing care work and your responsibility is not just to your father but other clients too.

That is awful. Why not a camera though? I know people do put cameras to safeguard older people. Would you be obliged to inform the agency that there's a camera?
Honestly I think I would do this.
Sorry you're having to deal with this.

A lot of medication go missing. Some is stolen, yes, but your father can have moved it as it was left out. I have found so much misplaced meditation over the years working as a nurse.

I would only leave the medication in pots and either take the unopened packs with you, or like you say get a small lockable box. The Agency may take it further, but I suspect your Dad doesn’t have the same carers everyday. Is everything else locked away like bank/credit cards. If you are there next when the carers are there, I would ask them if they’ve seen the medication that you left on the table.

It may be worth putting a camera and a strip or two as 'bait'. Just to get to the bottom of it and be sure it's not your father moving the medicine and then forgetting.

A lockable box won't resolve the issue because the carers will need a key to it. I'd let the agency, gp and pharmacist know. I'd also put up a camera, presumablynthe prescription ix there and a drug chart for the carers to sign, I'd it 2 signatures. What drug has gone missing.

I agree that keeping any money, cards, bank details are removed for safety.

Yes, I’m leaning in that direction as I wouldn’t want any other clients to experience this. I feel like they’ll ask me for some kind of proof though. Would it be unethical to leave some out but clearly track them every day to see if they go missing? At least then I can say ‘we wanted to be absolutely sure this was happening so we’ve been tracking them’.

The gp and pharmacist should have noticed the meds are running out before the next prescription is due

At the moment, I dispense the drugs (the carers don’t do it) so I do have a pretty good handle on what he should have. It acts as a reminder too when there’s only about 10 days left to order the next lot. My dad has mobility issues and never really goes into the utility room where I keep the drugs. This box was left out on the top and when I asked my dad about it, he said he didn’t even know where I kept them and there was no reason for him to go into that room. He doesn’t have any memory or cognitive issues so I know he’s unlikely to have mixed things up.

If we get cameras we do have to declare them to the care company (GDPR etc) but I guess there’s the ‘justice’ part of me would like to catch someone in the process. I even just looked it up and these drugs have a ‘street value’ of about £15 a strip.

I think I might leave a trap and see what happens. That way I can then go to the agency with something more than just ‘we think some have gone missing’.

Last month we ordered a week early and I haven’t placed this month’s order yet so it’s too early for them to spot a trend. We do have some spare in another cupboard so he won’t run short this month thankfully.

I am not sure that leaving tablets out 'to see if they go missing' is going to help really. Because it is possible your father is picking up the medication and moving it 'somewhere safe'. My mother did this and the 'safe places' were not anywhere you would anticipate. Your father has only just recalled that he left some tablets out in the bathroom last month and a strip went missing.

I would mention the missing tablets to the agency, put them in a locked box and ensure the carers know where the key is, but your father doesn't. Keep a written dated note of how many are in there so you don't have to rely on memory. Then if tablets go missing you will know that you and the carers are the only people with access.

Honestly id just put a camera wherever you keep the pills plus id leave some out too

I had this happen with my mum’s meds. I initially thought i was miscalculating but after a few more incidents I realised it was the carers. I flagged it to the social worker and I now just leave out exactly what she needs for the day and nothing more.

What tablets are they, I wouldn't leave them out, I'd speak to the agency and set up a camera anyway. If you're the one giving out his meds then it shouldn't happen again.

Id try and find a pharmacy that will dispense in blister packs. Safer all round