Checks aim to limit use of drugs for dementia patients

Nationally it is estimated that around 20 per cent of people prescribed anti-psychotics for dementia go on to experience negative effects, which include an increased risk of having a stroke or even dying.

Hull is the highest prescriber of anti-psychotics in Yorkshire and the Humber, but a national report by Professor Sube Banerjee two years ago recommended that their use should be cut by 70 per cent.

Now health officials are carrying out an audit in hospitals and surgeries to find exactly what medication is used and where.

A report to Hull Council’s health and social well-being overview and scrutiny commission, meeting next Tuesday, says there have to be alternatives to prescribing drugs, like “meaningful activities”.

Hull and East Riding PCTs have pooled funds of £20,000 to carry out the work, including identifying the most effective way to treat people with dementia without the use of drugs.

Historically, because Hull has had an average lower life expectancy than many other cities, it has fewer sufferers. But the national trend is for people to live longer, making them more prone to the condition and by 2025 it is forecast that 3,304 people in the city will have dementia, a 31 per cent rise on 2008.

A conference being held at the Endsleigh Centre, Beverley Road, next Friday will focus on the needs of carers whose partners or relatives have dementia. Hull Churches Home from Hospital Service was awarded a £25,000 Department of Health grant to carry out in-depth interviews, develop a training package for staff and volunteers and hold a conference on their findings.

Manager Clare Smith said early diagnosis was the key to appropriate services: “People often think it is mum getting a bit old and forgetful; it is often dismissed as the normal process of getting older. Awareness on part of the general public and doctors is key.”