Tranquilisation medications for Dementia patients Tranquilisation medications for Dementia patients
Produced by the Freedom of Information officeAuthored by Health and Care Jersey and published on
01 June 2026.Prepared internally, no external costs.
Request 827831861
Could you please provide the following:
1. The number of reported incidents of the use of rapid tranquilisation medications for Dementia patients at Jersey General Hospital in each of the following months: March 2025, April 2025, May 2025, June 2025, July 2025, August 2025, September 2025, October 2025, November 2025, December 2025, January 2026, February 2026, March 2026, April 2026
2. If it is recorded, the number of reported incidents of the use of rapid tranquilisation medications for Dementia patients by staff employed by the health department in other settings, in each of the following months: March 2025, April 2025, May 2025, June 2025, July 2025, August 2025, September 2025, October 2025, November 2025, December 2025, January 2026, February 2026, March 2026, April 2026
Response
Rapid tranquillisation refers to the use of medication to quickly calm a person who is severely distressed or agitated. It is used only as a last resort when there is an immediate risk of serious harm and other calming approaches have not worked.
In this context, the term applies specifically to medications given intramuscularly (IM) or intravenously (IV) on a ‘once only’ or ‘as required’ basis, and does not include regular prescribed medication or medicines given orally.
As recently reported, over the 13 month period between March 2025 and March 2026 inclusive, there were 578 inpatient admissions of people with a recorded diagnosis of dementia at Jersey General Hospital. Of these, only 13 individuals received rapid tranquilisation on a total of 22 occasions. There was no use of rapid tranquilisation recorded in April 2026.
The monthly data are detailed in the attached table:
[LINK JGH data]
Over the same period, rapid tranquilisation was used on 6 occasions in other Health and Care Jersey (HCJ) facilities, as detailed below:
- March 2025: 1
- July 2025: 1
- August 2025: 1
- September 2025: 3
Rapid tranquillisation is used very rarely in patients with dementia, and this is closely monitored through HCJ’s clinical governance processes. The focus remains on providing safe, compassionate and person centred care for people living with dementia when they require admission to hospital.
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