Concerns raised over dementia drug prescriptions

Doctors in some areas in England are still "inappropriately over-prescribing" anti-psychotic drugs to dementia patients, campaigners have said.

Doctors in some areas in England are still "inappropriately over-prescribing" anti-psychotic drugs to dementia patients, campaigners said. Daybreak's Helen Drew reports.

More than halving the number of people with dementia receiving anti-psychotics marks a huge change in the right direction.

"But we can and must go further. That is why we are developing a risk assessment tool to help doctors use the drugs safely and appropriately. I have also ordered the rerun of this audit to keep tabs on the action that is being taken to tackle the unacceptable regional variation that we have exposed.

"The momentum is building and I am determined to take all necessary steps to protect people from unnecessary prescribing."

This audit breaks new ground in examining prescribing patterns for dementia patients and highlights areas that GPs and other practices who want to deliver the best possible care need to focus on.

"It is encouraging that prescribing of anti-psychotic drugs is falling.

"However, it is clear that the picture nationally is mixed and that everyone involved in the care of those with dementia needs to look carefully at how they compare with others in their practices."

This momentous achievement is not just about statistics, it is about the lives of tens of thousands of people with dementia.

"However, there are still tens of thousands more people - both diagnosed and undiagnosed - having their lives put at risk by these drugs and some parts of the country are failing to reach the mark.

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Concerns raised over dementia drug prescriptions