GPs should be banned from initiating antipsychotic medications in nursing homes under measures to reduce their use as chemical restraints, the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety says.

Psychiatrists or geriatricians would be the only doctors allowed to prescribe the drugs, with GPs limited to writing repeats within 12 months of the initial script.

The proposed clampdown being demanded by the commission would come into effect from 1 November, subject to the Federal Government.

The commission’s final report released on Monday described the aged care system as “besieged by neglect”.