Stroke victim 'pinned down' and injected against her will

Yesterday, the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman upheld a complaint that she had been injected against her will. He said that in doing so, the hospital had breached her human rights.

The report said there was no proper assessment recorded of whether she was competent to refuse treatment or not. She was also given a much higher dose than guidance recommends.

Yesterday NHS Grampian said it would apologise to Mrs Glidden, but maintained that it acted "in the best interests of the patient".

In recent years, campaigners have complained that so-called "chemical coshes" are being administered without patients' consent.

The report by ombudsman Jim Martin said Mrs Glidden, referred to in the document as Mrs A, was admitted after collapsing in a supermarket on 17 February, 2009. Paramedics found her unresponsive but conscious, and said she became "confused and aggressive".

At the hospital, a doctor also noted she was upset and confused, and nurses recorded that she had muddled speech. Mrs Glidden refused antibiotics for a suspected infection on her second day in hospital.

The report found that, later on, nursing documentation showed the patient was given an injection of haloperidol - an anti- psychotic drug - which it said was "to settle".

Just over an hour later, she was given another dose. Mrs Glidden claimed she was held down when she was given the jab.

A CT scan then showed that she had suffered a stroke on the left side of her brain, which had caused her collapse.

Mrs Glidden, who lives in Glassel, Aberdeenshire, later made a complaint.

One of the ombudsman's advisers said the records of the patient's mental function and capacity to participate in decisions about her care were "poor".The adviser said some of Mrs Glidden's behaviour could be due to her needle phobia and also the symptoms, such as difficulties speaking, caused by her stroke.

The Adults with Incapacity Act 2000 says health staff should clearly document that they consider a patient lacks capacity, and fill in a form detailing this.

But in Mrs Glidden's case, there was no evidence that the form was completed.

Another adviser said the 10mg dose of haloperidol the patient received, while not particularly high, was more than suggested by prescribing guidelines.

Mr Martin said lessons from this "disturbing incident" needed to be learned across the NHS in Scotland.

Speaking after the report was published yesterday, Mrs Glidden said "no-one gave a hoot" when she refused the drugs.

"My feeling was they were going to show me who was boss, because I had not kowtowed to the ways of the people on the ward. I had caused problems," she said.

Mrs Glidden, an American who has lived in Scotland since 1967, said she tried to tell staff she had had a stroke, but no-one believed her.

In a statement, NHS Grampian said: "A formal apology will be issued to Mrs A. It remains our view that we acted in the best interests of the patient and that she received appropriate care."