Medication errors and/or prescription errors are a common cause of harm to patients and are common in both general practice and in hospitals. Each day many patients are prescribed medication and assume that the prescribed drugs that they will be given will be the correct drug and/or the correct dosage. Errors can occur in both the writing of the prescription and dispensing the medication. Any step in the prescribing process can generate errors.

Taking the wrong medication or dosage can have serious affects to a patient’s health, such as adverse drug reactions (ADRs), drug-drug interactions, suboptimal patient adherence, poor quality of life and patient experience. Some errors can be minor leading to no harm at all, ranging through to major errors which can cause serious harm and even death depending on the incorrect drug which has been prescribed, and the length of time a patient has taken it for. Errors can result in associated healthcare and wider costs.

What are the most common causes of medication errors?

• Poor communication between your doctors;
• Incomplete patient information;
• Doctors ignoring a patient’s medical history;
• Drug names that sound alike and medications that look alike; and
• Medical abbreviations.

What are the most common cause of prescription errors?

• Medication with similar names or packaging;
• Out of date medicines;
• Misreading the prescription;
• Under prescribing;
• Over-prescribing.

Can a patient sue for an incorrect medication or prescription error?

Yes, there are two possibilities here.

If the doctor has prescribed the correct medication and the correct dosage for a patient’s condition but the Pharmacist did not fulfill the prescription correctly, then it would be the Pharmacist who would be at fault and not the doctor.

Whereas if the doctor has prescribed the wrong medication or the wrong dosage then it would be the doctor who would be at fault.

So how much is this costing the NHS?

Last year a study by the Universities of York, Manchester and Sheffield revealed that a shocking estimated 237 million medication errors occur in the NHS in England every year costing the NHS a massive £98.5 million. Acording to a report commissioned by the Government, these errors contribute to as many as 22,300 deaths a year.

Here at Jackson Lees we represent a number of clients who have been the victims of medication or prescription errors. Compensation payments can range from many thousands of pounds and are largely dependent on the period of suffering and the extent of the adverse drug reactions.

If you feel that you or a loved one might have been harmed by an avoidable medication error then Jackson Lees may be able to help you understand what happened and why; and go some way to help you move on from these mistakes and put your life back together, by bringing a claim for compensation. We fit around your life, visiting you at home and out of hours when required.

Our dedicated team of lawyers will be able to identify the issues affecting you and your loved ones and offer you the best practical advice on the options available to you.

For a free consultation with one of our Medical Neligence specialist advisers, call us on 0800 387 927, request a callback at your convenience or message us your enquiry. You can also drop into the clinic at our Birkenhead office Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.