From: drarwingnuttephd@gmail.com   
      
   Patients 'inappropriately detained' at crisis-hit Colchester Hospital   
      
   Colchester Hospital hit by claims that elderly and dementia patients   
   'inappropriately detained and sedated' as ward is shut to new admissions   
      
   Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission have declared a major incident at   
   Colchester Hospital   
      
   Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission have declared a major incident at   
   Colchester Hospital Photo: Alamy   
   Patrick Sawer By Patrick Sawer10:54AM GMT 15 Nov 2014   
      
      
      
   Elderly patients and dementia sufferers have been 'restrained unnecessarily'   
   and given 'inappropriate sedation' at a hospital where health watchdog   
   inspectors have declared a major incident, it has emerged.   
   A ward at Colchester Hospital, in Essex, has now been closed to new admissions   
   after inspectors from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found it was   
   struggling with "unprecedented demand", with patients being urged to got to   
   it's A&E department only if    
   they have a serious or life-threatening condition.   
   But it is understood that serious concerns were also raised by CQC staff about   
   the inappropriate restraint, sedation and inappropriate resuscitation of   
   elderly people, some of whom were suffering from dementia.   
   One "safeguarding concern" raised by the CQC is understood to have involved a   
   patient's note detailing that an invasive procedure had been carried when that   
   patient could not give their consent.   
   Inspectors questioned whether some patients in the hospital's emergency   
   assessment unit had given informed consent for a number of medical procedures.   
   The unit has now been closed following the inspection.   
   Related Articles   
   An investigation was launched by senior executives at the hospital twenty   
   months ago but it     
   Hospital investigation failed to expose 'cancer care cover up' two years ago   
   06 Nov 2013   
   Hospitals with fewer nurses on wards than Mid Staffs 19 Jan 2014   
   Colchester Hospital University NHS Trust boss resigns amid bullying   
   allegations 18 Dec 2013   
   There are also claims that patients were resuscitated despite a "do not   
   resuscitate" (DNR) notice.   
   This is the latest crisis to hit the troubled hospital, which was placed on   
   special measures by the health regulator Monitor last November after data   
   inaccuracies in cancer treatment targets meant it had breached its licence to   
   provide certain services.    
   The CQC found that staff were allegedly being bullied to change figures and a   
   police investigation was launched into the claims.   
   An emergency control centre has now been put in place at Colchester Hospital   
   to handle problems with capacity. Routine elective operations are being   
   rescheduled, hospital managers are trying to discharge as many patients as   
   they safely can and extra    
   staff are being brought it.   
   Professor Mike Richards, the CQC's chief inspector, told The Guardian: "CQC   
   carried out an unannounced inspection at Colchester hospital this week in   
   response to concerns. The inspection looked at the accident and emergency   
   department and the emergency    
   assessment unit (EAU).   
   "Following the inspection, we gave feedback to the trust about our   
   safeguarding concerns so that it could take appropriate action to ensure the   
   safety and well-being of its patients. We will return to carry out further   
   inspections at the trust and we are    
   working urgently with Monitor to resolve these issues.   
   "A full report of CQC's findings will be published on our website in due   
   course."   
   The crisis at Colchester Hospital University NHS Trust comes as Jeremy Hunt,   
   the health secretary, warned of "real pressure" on A&E departments this winter   
   and announced a £300m fund to help alleviate the situation.   
   Mr Hunt said on Friday: "The pressures are higher than they have ever been   
   before in the system."   
   The 'major incident' at Colchester was announced on Friday during the public   
   part of a scheduled hospital board meeting, although the findings from the CQC   
   visit were discussed in the private part of the meeting, from which the press   
   and public were    
   excluded.   
   A spokesman for Colchester Hospital refused to either confirm or deny a number   
   of specific allegations about the use of restraint, inappropriate sedations   
   and patients being resuscitated despite DNR notices.   
   However its chief executive, Dr Lucy Moore, admitted that safeguarding   
   concerns had been raised.   
   She said: "The Care Quality Commission raised a small number of safeguarding   
   concerns when its team gave immediate feedback and the end of the inspection   
   on Wednesday."   
   Peter Wilson, the acting chairman of the hospital trust, said: "The Care   
   quality Commission visited here and visited A&E and emergency admission unit   
   departments. Disappointingly, although they commented favourably on some   
   aspects their general view was    
   that the situation had not improved. We have already put actions in place to   
   address some of the issues they face.   
   "We are, however, facing an unprecedented demand at the front end and have   
   declared today a major incident, which means a whole-hospital review of   
   demand, capacity, staffing levels and discharge processes and other   
   opportunities for improvement."   
   But patient groups have described the alleged ill-treatment of patients as a   
   "horrific" situation.   
   Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: "I'm   
   saddened, horrified and distressed to hear of such allegations. If they are   
   confirmed, they are horrific. It's deeply alarming that despite    
   id-Staffordshire, Winterbourne View and    
   all the reports that have been published, that this inhumane treatment and   
   lack of care and compassion continues to happen today, especially with such   
   vulnerable patients."   
   North East Essex clinical commissioning group, the GP-led NHS body that sends   
   patients to the hospital and pays for their treatment, said it was concerned   
   by the CQC's findings. A spokesman for the group said: "We are very   
   disappointed to hear that the    
   CQC has seen little improvement to A&E services since their last visit earlier   
   this year [and] of particular concern is the issue of safeguarding patients.   
   "While we await their full report, we are working with the hospital trust and   
   other partners to address the CQC's urgent concerns highlighted during their   
   visit this week. This includes supporting safe discharges and preventing   
   avoidable admissions."   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)