A resident was given the wrong medication. Eight days later, he was dead
A resident of a Melbourne group home died after being mistakenly administered another patient's high-dose antipsychotic medication. The family is seeking answers regarding the circumstances of the error and the facility's subsequent closure.
Why it matters
This incident highlights critical failures in medication management protocols within residential care facilities and raises questions about accountability in the healthcare sector.
Shifrah Blustein of Footscray Community Response, which has rallied against the closure of The Salvation Army’s Foley House. Luis Enrique Ascui Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items.
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Share A A A It was early evening in a group home in Melbourne’s inner west when a worker made a tragic mistake.
Alex Clack, 48, had asked for his medication just before dinner, as he had hundreds of times. The Salvation Army staff member handed it over, and Clack swallowed it.
Then the realisation set in. These were another resident’s drugs.
Foley House in Footscray, which was due to close at the end of June. Jason South The worker alerted colleagues, who called the poisons information line, which referred them to the dispensing pharmacy.
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