AN investigation at a Harrow psychiatric hospital has exposed “major concerns” with the prescription of medication.

Health watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC) found Cygnet Hospital Harrow, in London Road, Harrow-on-the-Hill, was not properly managing a drug used to treat epilepsy, anxiety and panic disorders.

Inspectors visited wards after it was thought patients may have been given more drugs than their doctors prescribed.

The probe revealed 620 tablets of clonazepam were missing from supplies during a six-week period when a maximum of 231 had been prescribed.

The watchdog did not find conclusive evidence that the extra drugs had been given to patients but the medication was unaccounted for.

Its concerns have been ranked “major”, the most serious category available suggesting patients “are not experiencing the outcomes relating to this essential standard and are not protected from unsafe or inappropriate care, treatment and support.”

CQC has now ordered the hospital to produce plans for how it will fix the problem.

In a statement the watchdog said: “Inspectors from the Care Quality Commission found that the service was not meeting one of the essential standards of quality and safety.

“By law, providers of care services have a legal responsibility to make sure they are complying with these regulations.”

Inspectors also investigated the care given to patients and efforts to monitor its quality and found the hospital to have met standards in both areas.

Their report states: “People experience safe quality care, treatment and support because Cygnet Hospital Harrow assesses the individual needs of people from the point at which they begin to use the service, taking account of information passed on from previous care providers.”