The case in summary: – Three women with dementia at Namso’s health center suffered serious side effects from medication they received at the nursing home. – A doctor has been reported for having broken the law, and has received a strong warning from the State Administrator. – The husbands of the three women are asking for legal aid, and believe that people with dementia in nursing homes should have the right to legal aid. – County doctor Jan Vaage says that it is rare for the State Administrator to report to the police after supervision cases, but that there have been proven violations of the law both by the treating doctor and Namsos municipality in these three cases. – The Norwegian Institute for Human Rights (NIM) expresses concern about the extent of incorrect medication of vulnerable elderly people , and believes that such findings must be taken very seriously and followed up with powerful measures. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. The state administrator has concluded that the law has been broken in three cases concerning patients with dementia at Namso’s nursing home. Three women suffered serious side effects from tablets they received at the nursing home. Two women in their early 60s changed quickly and became crooked in the neck and back. – We have reported the doctor to the police, to see what consequences breaking the law has on nursing homes. So says one of the three men from Namsos, who has now submitted a report to the police. He says that the doctor was involved in all three cases, and they want this to be seen in context. WILL TRY THE CASE IN COURT: His wife became disfigured and is one of three women who were injured by the tablets they were given at the nursing home. Photo: Eivind Aabakken / news Got a warning The former doctor at Namso’s health center, who has now been reported, received a strong warning from the State Administrator. The doctor continued with Risperdal and increased the dose, although it was suspected that the woman’s crooked neck could be a side effect. The state administrator determines after an inspection that the treatment she received was unjustifiable and a breach of the Health Personnel Act. The doctor who has been notified tells news that he is taking note of the decision of the State Administrator. – I have changed my practice in line with what the State Administrator has pointed out. Now I will wait to see what happens next in the matter. Beyond that, I have no comment. Conclusion after supervision by a doctor This is stated in the supervision file by a doctor who has been notified. This applies to a case where a woman’s neck was permanently crooked. The treatment with Risperdal for this patient took place at the same time as the treatment with antipsychotics for another patient with dementia, whom we have already treated as a supervision case. In connection with the other case, you have already described to the State Administrator how you will ensure that your practice is adjusted. Both with regard to treatment with antipsychotics for the demented, and information and dialogue with relatives. The state administrator assumes that you will also learn from this case and that this will contribute to adjusting your practice. If in the future we receive new complaints that indicate that the practice has not been adjusted, these cases could have an impact on any stronger reaction from the supervisory authorities. Source: Decision in supervision case from the State Administrator Requests a lawyer Now the case can be tried in court. The 62-year-old woman with dementia suffered a permanent neck injury after long-term use of antipsychotics. – We have a piece of legislation, and it is important to test it against the legal system, the three husbands believe. Now the husbands are asking for a legal aid. – We want to clarify whether people with dementia in nursing homes are entitled to a legal aid lawyer. They point out that elderly people in nursing homes have little left each month and about 75 per cent of what they receive goes towards paying for the nursing home stay. – At national level, it should have been introduced into the law that persons who do not have the competence to consent should have the right to support a legal aid lawyer, they believe. Rarely reports violations County medical examiner Jan Vaage says that it is rare for the State Administrator to report to the police after supervisory cases. – In the most serious cases, we do it. We have assessed that there was no basis for a police report in this case. We feel that the offenses do not take place in a vacuum. We have proven breaches of the law both by the treating doctor and Namsos municipality in these three cases. The county doctor cannot remember that the State Administrator has reported doctors in nursing homes in the past. BREAK THE LAW: Long-term use of Risperdal (antipsychotic) led to three patients suffering serious injuries at the nursing home. Photo: Eivind Aabakken Serious personal injury Helge Foosnæs is one of the three husbands from Namsos who have reported to the doctor. – There has been gross mismedication over a long period of time. The three have suffered serious personal injuries, and the tablets were given without indication, he says. Foosnæs says that repeated offenses in nursing homes must have greater consequences. He believes that enforcement is needed to ensure legal certainty, privacy and the human rights of people with dementia. – A fine of NOK 10 would have been enough to show that this should not happen, he says. WILL GO TO COURT: Helge Foosnæs is one of three husbands who have reported the former doctor at the health centre. His wife Bente was one of three who suffered serious side effects from antipsychotics. Photo: Rita Kleven Treng’s powerful tools The Norwegian Institution for Human Rights (NIM) has over time expressed concern about the extent of incorrect medication of so-called vulnerable elderly people. That’s what director Adele Mestad says. She says the cases at Namso’s health center shed light on serious conditions. – A consistent feature is that there are few complaints and court cases about such issues relating to the elderly. This means that supervisory matters become all the more important. Such findings as we see here must be taken very seriously and followed up with powerful measures, she says. Mestad says that legal aid is essential to ensure the right to an effective remedy in the event of suspected rights violations. Director Adele Mestad at the Norwegian Institution for Human Rights.
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Reports a doctor at a nursing home in Namsos to the police – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
