The fact that an 80-year-old dementia sufferer, was badly cared for in hospital comes as 'no surprise' to Access Legal from Shoosmiths.

After developing a chest infection and being admitted to the hospital in Scotland - which cannot be named - she was given dozens of sedative doses after having trouble swallowing.

She was given no food for 11 days, but received 86 doses of sedatives. After being allowed to eat small amounts the sedative doses were reduced, but she later died in hospital.

The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland called her treatment degrading and unnecessary, and said it may have breached her human rights.

Access Legal from Shoosmiths solicitor and medical negligence specialist Kishma Small secured £40,000 compensation earlier this year for a 59-year-old dementia sufferer who was left critically ill, severely dehydrated and with bed sores following a two-week stay in a private care home, in Birmingham.

"This news comes as no surprise. Whether they are in NHS hospitals or private care homes, dementia sufferers are particularly vulnerable to lack of proper care," she said, "because they're often unable to communicate their needs to their carers, and cannot complain when they are being treated poorly.

"My own case and the one in Scotland reflect growing concerns about whether the elderly are getting acceptable standards of care.

"Cases like this should always be brought to the attention of the public, but how many reports, investigations and calls for improved care must there be before we actually start to see an improvement in the way these especially vulnerable patients are looked after."

The investigation in Scotland unearthed examples of poor nursing attitudes, medical decision-making and monitoring of medication, though care levels at the hospital have improved since the woman's death, after it acted on recommendations made by in the report.

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