Interesting to see that this still goes on, especially in a “civilized” nation like Britain:
Mentally ill patients are being sedated with drugs due to critical staff shortages in psychiatric hospitals, according to research published today.
Only a fifth of psychiatric wards in England offer patients psychological treatments, such as cognitive behaviour therapy, as well as medication due to a lack of psychiatrists and nurses, found charity the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health (SCMH).
Nearly half of the 300 wards surveyed lacked a lead consultant psychiatrist, less than a quarter had the services of a psychologist, while 13% were without a ward manager or a senior nurse.
On an average day a ward of 16 beds had a combined shortfall of two full-time nurses and healthcare assistants, and used four full-time agency or bank staff.
Welshman or another UK resident can fill me in, but I’m assuming that our cousins across the sea face the same kind of staffing shortages in the health care industry found here in the US.
You’d think that a situation like this would lead to increased funding, so that hospitals could afford adequate staffing. But here in Pennsylvania, at least, they’re closing the state hospital, thereby outsourcing the problem.
Oh, and don’t forget, they’re selling the hospital property to a developer in a sweetheart deal. Anybody who says Ed Rendell isn’t a jackal hasn’t been following PA politics very closely.
Makes me wonder how long it’ll be before the chains and piles of straw make their comeback.
