Child restraint and sedation fears at hospital

At the BBC, Carmelo Garcia has this article on the use of physical restraints and chemical interventions on children at a major hospital in Gloucestershire, England: 

“Concerns about the use of emergency sedation and the privacy of child patients at a major hospital have been raised in a new report.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) highlighted issues at the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital after carrying out an unannounced inspection of the site’s children’s centre in September.

The inspection was triggered by information from the trust that manages the hospital – with concerns that children ready for discharge were inappropriately placed at the hospital.

In response to the CQC report, a spokesperson for Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said the team has strengthened processes around appropriate hospital admissions, administration of emergency sedation, reviewed mandatory training and strengthened recruitment and use of registered mental health nurses.

The CQC report said it was alerted to the fact that ‘due to behaviours, physical restraint was being used together with the administration of emergency sedation and involuntary detention’. . . . 

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust raised concerns about the safety and quality of services and contacted the CQC with fears children had no clear discharge pathway, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Inspectors found there was no privacy in young people’s rooms, were told de-escalation and restraint took place in the rooms and that people moving along the corridor could see into young people’s rooms.

They also said the hospital’s care plans and records did not reflect national guidance for restraint, observation, and emergency sedation. . . . 

According to the report, staff were not following the national guidance on the use of emergency sedation in children, and managers did not have full oversight of its use.”

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