A man who suffered a psychotic episode which lasted for weeks was not fully informed about potential extreme side-effects of taking steroids medication, England’s health service Ombudsman has found.
Andrew Holland was prescribed steroids in early January 2022 by Manchester Royal Eye Hospital after losing vision in his left eye and suffering a severe infection in his right eye.
The 61-year-old from Manchester was given the medication as treatment for eye inflammation, but soon began suffering from disrupted sleep and severe headaches.
These side-effects developed into more serious ones, including becoming aggressive, psychotic, and inexplicably wandering the street at different times of the day and night.
After several hospital visits due to his symptoms, Andrew attended Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s emergency department in mid-January with a severe headache and later became an inpatient.
He was diagnosed with steroid induced psychosis, with symptoms including hallucinations, insomnia and behaviour changes.
Though no failings were found with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust in prescribing Andrew with steroids for the eye condition, the Ombudsman discovered a missed opportunity to fully inform him of potential extreme side-effects. He was therefore unable to make a fully informed decision about whether to take them or not.
The Trust apologised for an ‘unsatisfactory experience’. However, the Ombudsman found relevant guidelines were not followed. Moreover, there had been no acknowledgement of mistakes in communication about the side-effects. Nor was any attempt made to correct them.
Source: PSHO, 10 April 2024
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