7. Debate on the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee report: Use of antipsychotic medication in care homes

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:13 pm on 11 July 2018.

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Photo of David Lloyd David Lloyd Plaid Cymru 5:13, 11 July 2018

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I'm very happy to reply to the debate. It's been an excellent debate, and I think that's testament to the quality of the contributions; obviously, it's a testament to the quality of the evidence we took over the months from many witnesses—both written and oral—and obviously to the quality of the support that we have as a committee from our clerks and our researchers. It truly is a team effort, and a justifiable team effort, because we are trying to address an injustice to a very vulnerable group of people, as we've heard.

I'd like to thank the Cabinet Secretary and other Members for their contributions this afternoon. We started with Angela Burns and a powerful presentation about the disquiet about recommendations 9 and 2. Lynne Neagle then—truly another excellent performance from Lynne this week again about a step change in performance required here. This is not the first critical report about antipsychotic medication. I could take some of the 'accepts in principle' if this was the very first time that we'd had a report about this very topic. It's the latest in a series of reports that have said much the same thing—that we are failing our most vulnerable people in care homes. Something needs to be done about it, and that's why we can no longer accept things in principle. We have to do something about it. I hear what the Cabinet Secretary has said about that, but I was also hearing what the older people's commissioner said. We need a change—a step change—in culture and performance, and we do need to be addressing those nurse staffing levels in our care homes, and in our hospital wards, as Lynne Neagle was saying.

Another excellent contribution as well from Rhun about the whole issue about 'accept in principle', and I do think, as many have said, not just in this debate but in other debates, that that issue needs to be tackled in terms of accepting or rejecting.

Thank you also to Caroline Jones for her contribution, and also to Julie Morgan, emphasising again the point that I made at the start: there are tools, there are checklists out there to assess what is causing what we label as challenging behaviour. We need to look at why people react with dementia sometimes in the way that they do. We need to look at the person themselves, and there are various checklist tools that enable us to do that. One excellent example is the Swansea University adverse drug reaction profile that has already been alluded to by myself and by Julie Morgan, developed by Professor Sue Jordan's team in Swansea University.

Also, I thank Suzy Davies for an excellent contribution, actually, and also for stipulating the need for urgency. Because, as I've already said, and you said it as well, we have been here before, and the time is now for action, not about another report that is critical of current performance. So, there have been previous reports, the older people's commissioner has raised concerns on several occasions, and we have a legacy report from a previous health committee, as we've alluded to, all highlighting concerns about the inappropriate use of antipsychotic medication in care homes. It should never be the first resort.

I hope that, following today's debate, the Cabinet Secretary, as he has assured us, will give further consideration to the evidence gathered, both for this report and also further enunciated in oral contributions today, and also further consider the recommendations we have made in order to deliver the long-term solutions that are needed. Because this is about transforming care. It's not just about subduing people. This is about transforming the care of people with dementia in Wales. Our most vulnerable people in Wales deserve no less. Diolch yn fawr.