One of our residential services has recently supported residents to reduce their medication dosage. Tree Top View, located in Leyland, Lancashire, is one of Priory’s care homes which supports adults who have a learning disability or are on the autism spectrum. The service takes a positive behaviour support (PBS) approach to care, and have recently embraced STOMP, which stands for stopping the over medication of autistic people and individuals with a learning disability.
A person who lives at Tree Top View was recently discharged from the community Care Co-ordination team and Learning Disability team, due to the improvements in his life they have experienced since being supported by Priory. At this time, the resident was taking a number of medications, including antipsychotics. Given this individual’s progress, the team at Tree Top View began to explore the potential reduction of these medications.
To make this happen, the team sought out support from the STOMP clinic, which provides access to further resources, including a learning disability nurse and pharmacist. This helped the staff team at Tree Top View ensure that the resident would be well-supported during the course of the medication reduction process.
Ahead of making any changes to the person’s medications, meetings were held with the resident’s circle of support, including a psychiatrist. All parties were in agreement that a steady approach to reduction would be taken for this individual, with regular and thorough reviews. A structured and gradual reduction plan commenced, culminating in a significant reduction in the individual’s medication dosage. This was hugely successful, with the individual’s wellbeing being kept firmly at the centre of the plans.
Since then, the same practice has been undertaken with another resident, who had been prescribed a sedative for a number of years. With the support of the team at Tree Top View and the STOMP clinic, this individual’s dosage has now been successfully halved, with the view to remove the medication altogether in the future. Given the success of this particular medicine reduction, the management staff at Tree Top View are also planning to reduce this resident’s dosage of other medications, including an antipsychotic.
“We could not be prouder of our residents, and as a PBS practitioner I could not be prouder of the staff team and leadership team, they are nothing less than fantastic,” said the service’s PBS practitioner, Trevor Moores.
“We have built and developed open and transparent lines of communication with family members, commissioners, social workers, advocates, psychologists, psychiatrists, and all key stakeholders pertinent to the care of the people we support. This proved to be a key element that enabled regular and honest reviews, focusing on support needs and utilising the least restrictive practices possible.”
“Our biggest take home from our journey with the STOMP team is that it’s okay if things don’t go to plan. Sometimes there are bumps in the road, but with the right support, including the STOMP team, anything is achievable. The people we support are worth nothing less than our best efforts.”
Get in touch
For more information on the specialist services Priory Adult Care provides across the UK to support adults with a range of needs, please contact us today on 0808 208 2147. Alternatively, click here to complete a short enquiry form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.