Up to one in three mental health patients are being over-prescribed drugs, says the Healthcare Commission.
A report found mental health patients were more likely to have problems with medicines than those in other trusts.

The healthcare watchdog said management of mental healthcare patients' medicines must improve, and pharmacists should be involved in patient care.

It said the findings were "concerning" given the importance of medicines in mental healthcare.

Healthcare Commission Chief Executive Anna Walker said: "Managing medicines safely, effectively and efficiently is central to the delivery of high quality care that is focused on the patient and gives value for money."

She called on both primary care trusts and mental health trusts to look at their medicines management, and said patients in mental health trusts had told the Commission that they had not been involved as much as they would like in decisions about their medicines.

She said: "This needs to be addressed if trusts expect service users to take their medicines as prescribed."

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Viewpoint Webteam

SOURCE: BBC News Online