HC Deb 14 March 1989 vol 149 cc157-8W
Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been done on the proportion of elderly people admitted to hospital who are admitted as a direct result of the adverse effects of medication; and what were the finding of the research.

Mr. Mellor

The Department has commissioned no research on this specific issue but doctors are responsible for considering the risks of known adverse reactions when they write prescriptions, and the published data sheets draw attention to such reactions.