Lloyds Pharmacy is a well known high street name in the UK with over 1,500 pharmacies they play a key role in the treatment of patients. When a doctor has diagnosed a patient’s condition, it’s vital they receive the correct medication, the right dosage and clear instructions on how and when to take their medicine. Any mistake made with the dispensing of the medication could result in serious side effects or the patient’s condition becoming worse. In this guide, we’ll look at how you might suffer if given the wrong medication and, in particular, if you could claim for Lloyds Pharmacy wrong medication negligence.
Medical Negligence Assist could help you begin a compensation claim for the wrong medication. We offer a no-obligation assessment of your claim as well as free advice on your options. If your claim has a chance of being successful, we could introduce you to a medical negligence solicitor from our panel. If they agree to take your claim on, it’ll be on a No Win, No Fee basis.
To begin your claim right away, you can call a member of our team on 0800 652 3087 today. Alternatively, to find out when pharmacy medication error cases could entitle you to compensation, please continue reading.
Choose A Topic
- A Guide On Making Lloyds Pharmacy Wrong Medication Negligence Claims
- What Is A Pharmacy Prescription Error?
- Top Prescription Error Types
- Possible Side Effects And Symptoms Of A Prescription Error
- Time limits In Which To Claim For A Prescription Error
- What Could I Claim? – Wrong Medication Error Calculator
- No Win No Fee Wrong Medication Negligence Claims Against Lloyds Pharmacy
- How Medical Negligence Assist Could Help You
- Start A Prescription Error Claim
- Further Information
A Guide On Making Lloyds Pharmacy Wrong Medication Negligence Claims
Becoming a pharmacist takes many years of training. Once qualified, pharmacists are deemed to be medical professionals in the same way as doctors, surgeons, nurses and dentists are. This means they have a duty of care to try and ensure patient safety wherever possible. Whether the pharmacist is independent or works for a national chain of pharmacies, the duty of care is the same. Any mistake made with the dispensing of medication can cause a patient to suffer which could mean they’re entitled to claim compensation.
To claim for pharmacy mistakes in the UK, your solicitor will need to prove that:
- The pharmacist provided a service that was below the level that could reasonably be expected by a medical professional providing the same service. In legal terms, this is called breach of duty.
- That you suffered in some way. This could be a new illness, injury or it could mean your existing illness became worse.
- And, finally, the suffering was caused by the breach of duty. Legally this is known as causation.
To help prove liability for your suffering, you can supply evidence. This could include:
- The packaging that your medication came in.
- Medical records from your doctor. This could show what medication you were originally prescribed. It could also help prove what suffering was caused by the medication error.
- A sample of the medication you took. This might be helpful if testing is required to prove what you were given.
- Witness statements from anybody who overheard your conversation with the pharmacist. This could be useful if you believe you were given the wrong advice on when or how to take the medication.
Proving that a pharmacy prescription error caused you to suffer can be a complex task. That’s why we advise you to seek legal advice as soon as possible. There are time limits that we’ll cover in more detail later in the guide, so the sooner you get in touch with a solicitor, the more time they’ll have to perform the necessary tasks and to submit your claim on time.
What Is A Pharmacy Prescription Error?
As described earlier, a pharmacy prescription error needs to have caused you to suffer in some way. There are different types of mistake that could happen. Rather than listing them all in this guide, we’ve grouped them into a number of scenarios. If you don’t see the type of mistake listed which led to you suffering over the next few sections of this guide, don’t worry, we could still help you begin a claim.
Top Prescription Error Types
Here are forms of pharmacy negligence;
Delays In Getting Your Prescription From A Pharmacy
In certain situations, the date you begin your treatment can be very important. For instance, if you’re discharged from hospital following major surgery, you may have been prescribed a number of different medications. If you don’t receive all of the prescribed medication at the right time, your recovery could be hindered, and your condition might worsen.
Harmful Drug Interactions
There are many drugs that are known to cause issues if taken at the same time as another medicine. This could make the medication ineffective or it might lead to an adverse reaction. Therefore, when harmful drug interactions are known about, the pharmacist should advise the patient and check what other medication they’re taking. This is true of over the counter treatments as well as prescription medicines.
Allergic Reactions To A Medicine
As we’ll explain later in this guide, allergic reactions to medicines can range from minor symptoms to those that are fatal. If you’re given the wrong medicine following a pharmacist’s mistake, any checks performed by the GP would not help. An allergic reaction to medication caused by a prescription error in a pharmacy could mean you’re entitled to make a compensation claim for the wrong medication. It would be worth retaining any packaging and a sample of the medication to help prove this type of negligence.
Being Given The Incorrect Dose Of Your Medicine
If you receive medication with the wrong dosage, you could suffer in two different ways. Firstly, if the medication is too strong, you could suffer an adverse reaction, or the medication could cause damage to internal organs.
On the other hand, where the dosage is too weak, you could find that the medication is ineffective and therefore your underlying condition becomes worse.
Dosages are calculated by manufacturers based on a number of factors. This information is used by doctors to try and ensure the treatment is safe and effective. Therefore, if the pharmacist dispenses a different dosage to what was prescribed, and you suffer as a result, then you might be entitled to ask for compensation.
Being Given Another Person’s Medicine
Another mistake that could be made by a pharmacy technician, is where you are given somebody else’s medication. This might mean you receive their whole prescription or part of their prescription is mixed in with yours.
Part of a pharmacist’s duty of care is to have systems and procedures in place to try and prevent these types of mistake. However, they could happen in some cases such as:
- You’re given somebody else’s prescription because your name is similar.
- The pharmacy is busy or short-staffed leading to a mistake because staff are rushing.
- Or, it could also be possible to receive the wrong medication because your postcode or address is similar.
It’s very unlikely that somebody else’s prescription will contain the same medication as yours which means it’s possible that you might suffer if you take the medication provided.
Being Given Medication Not Prescribed To You
A pharmacy medication check is one of the most important processes required when dispensing drugs. The pharmacy should have systems in place to try and ensure that the correct medicine is dispensed every time. This could include clear labelling of medications and storing items that look similar or have similar names away from each other.
If a Lloyds Pharmacy prescription mistake does happen, and you receive the wrong medication, as described throughout this guide, you could become ill or your existing illness could become worse.
Where a pharmacy mistake does occur, and you suffer as a result, you could be entitled to claim compensation for any suffering caused. We could help you with the claims process, so please get in touch to discuss what happened.
Possible Side Effects And Symptoms Of A Prescription Error
There are so many different types of medication available from a pharmacist that it would be impossible to list all of the potential side effects in this guide. However, we can group into four different potential outcomes:
- There is no reaction at all, and your underlying condition doesn’t get worse. In this case, a claim wouldn’t be possible.
- You don’t suffer a reaction, but your underlying condition does get worse because you’re not taking the prescribed medicine. In this case, you could be entitled to claim.
- You suffer an adverse reaction to the medication. This could include symptoms like vomiting, nausea, dizziness and diarrhoea. You could also sustain damage to internal organs like the kidneys, bowels or lungs. These symptoms can lead to acute pain and might require up to a few weeks in hospital. Even when the symptoms have eased, it might take a couple of years for a full recovery.
- Finally, you could suffer an allergic reaction. If you have a known allergy, the GP will check that the medication they prescribe is suitable. However, when a dispensing mistake is made, the drug you’re given won’t have been checked. A mild allergic reaction could cause symptoms like a rash, dizziness, swelling of the mouth or tongue or light-headedness. In more serious cases, an allergic reaction could cause an anaphylactic shock to occur. This can be a fatal injury if not treated quickly enough.
We could help you begin a claim for suffering caused by a prescription error. We could also help you claim if a loved one has suffered a fatal allergic reaction after being given the wrong medication. Please get in touch with a member of our team to discuss your options.
Time limits In Which To Claim For A Prescription Error
It’s important that you begin your claim as soon as possible. That’s because there are time limits for doing so. The personal injury claims time limit is usually 3-years from the date of the incident which caused the injury.
However, when claiming for pharmacy prescription mistakes, the time limit will usually begin from the date you found out about the preventable suffering.
What Could I Claim? – Wrong Medication Error Calculator
Now that you’ve read about the implications of pharmacy mistakes, we’re going to look at how compensation can be awarded. It’s important to note that every claim is different and compensation amounts can vary. However, when your claim has been assessed by a member of our team, you could be provided with an estimated compensation amount.
When claiming for a prescription error, your solicitor is able to claim for general and special damages. General damages (as seen in the table below) are designed to compensate you for any pain, suffering or loss of amenity caused by the pharmacist’s mistake. Compensation is awarded based on the severity of your injuries. Therefore, as part of the claims process, our panel of solicitors will arrange for a medical assessment to be carried out by an independent doctor.
| Claim Type | Compensation | Further details |
|---|---|---|
| Non-traumatic Injury | Up to 49,270 | Injury symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, acute pain and fever. Some days or possibly weeks in hospital will be required and there will be further ongoing symptoms like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) incontinence and haemorrhoids. |
| Non-traumatic Injury | Up to £18,020 | Sort lived but serious symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea. These will reduce and clear up over a period of around 2 to 4 weeks. That said enjoyment of food, bowel function and sex life could all be impacted on for a few of years. |
| Non-traumatic Injury | Up to £8,950 | Injury symptoms such as fatigue, stomach cramps and alteration of the bowel function. They will cause significant discomfort which require patient to stay in hospital for a few days. These symptoms might last for around few weeks . However, complete recovery could take as long as 1 to 2 years. |
| Non-traumatic Injury | Up to £3,710 | These injuries will result in symptoms with varying degrees of disabling pain. They could include diarrhoea and stomach cramps which last no more than a few weeks. |
| Bowels | Up to £65,440 | This kind of damage will result in impairment of bowel function. |
| Bladder | Up to £75,010 | Damage which causes pain with impairment of control as well as incontinence. |
| Kidney | Up to £60,050 | This kidney damage could cause a significant risk of future urinary tract infection or the loss of kidney function. |
Special damages are designed to compensate you for any financial costs incurred as a result of your suffering. There are a number of different elements to special damages. They include:
- Medical Expenses. Your claim could include prescription fees or over the counter medication costs.
- Care Costs. These could include carer’s fees or the time of a family member who supported you during your recovery.
- Travelling Costs. You could claim for fuel or parking costs linked to medical appointments.
- Lost Earnings. If you don’t receive your normal income while off work sick, you could ask for the difference back as part of your claim. This could be while off work recovering or while visiting your GP.
- Future Lost Earnings. If your ability to work is reduced for a long period, you could ask for future lost income to be included in your claim. The amount paid will be based on your salary level, age and job prospects.
When claiming for special damages, it will help your solicitor if you’re able to provide evidence such as receipts, bank statements or wage slips.
No Win No Fee Wrong Medication Negligence Claims Against Lloyds Pharmacy
It’s fairly common to worry about the costs involved with making a claim. It’s for that reason our panel of solicitors works on a No Win, No Fee basis. Working in this way allows more people to begin a claim because their financial risk is reduced which gives them the confidence to pursue compensation that they could be entitled to.
Initially, the solicitor will assess the claim to ensure there’s a chance it might be won. If they’re happy to proceed, they’ll provide a No Win, No Fee Agreement. This is also known as a Conditional Fee Agreement (CFA).
The CFA will contain information to confirm that the solicitor’s fees don’t have to be paid if a claim is unsuccessful. Also, there are no fees to pay upfront or during the case.
If your solicitor is successful and compensation is awarded, then they will ask for a contribution towards their fees. This is known as a success fee and will be deducted from your compensation. Importantly, success fees are legally capped, and the amount will be listed in the CFA.
To find out whether you could claim for Lloyds Pharmacy medication negligence using a No Win, No Fee service, please speak with a member of our team today.
How Medical Negligence Assist Could Help You
If you’ve decided that you’d like to make a claim, we hope you’re considering letting Medical Negligence Assist help you to do so. To help you understand how we could help here’s some information about us.
- Our team of advisors offer completely free legal advice about making a claim.
- You can begin your claim when it’s most convenient as our claims line is open 24-7.
- All potential claimants are offered a no-obligation assessment of their claim.
- Should your claim be deemed strong enough, a medical negligence solicitor from our panel will be assigned to your case.
- Our panel of solicitors will always try to ensure that you receive a fair amount of compensation for your suffering.
Your solicitor will explain any legal jargon, talk you through the complexities of the legal process and ensure you’re kept up to date throughout the case. Also, they’ll be on hand to answer any queries along the way.
If there’s anything else you’d like to know about beginning your claim through Medical Negligence Assist, please get in touch today.
Start A Prescription Error Claim
Thanks for taking the time to read our guide about claiming for a Lloyds Pharmacy prescription error. Hopefully, you’ve now decided whether you’ll begin a claim or not. If you are going to proceed, we’d be happy to discuss your case with you. To get in touch, you can:
- Call our team of advisors for free claims advice on 0800 652 3087.
- Arrange for an advisor to call you at a convenient time by completing this form.
- Or you could use our live chat feature to discuss your claim online.
When you make contact with us, an advisor will assess your claim for you. We’ll listen to your claim and how you suffered. Then we’ll look at the evidence to see if it establishes liability for your suffering. In cases that are strong enough, we could introduce you to a medical negligence lawyer from our panel. If they decide to proceed, they’ll work on a No Win, No Fee basis. Any initial advice we offer is free and there’s no obligation to make a claim. Therefore, you’ve got nothing to lose by discussing your claim with an advisor today.
Further Information
This is the final section in this guide about claiming for Lloyds Pharmacy wrong medication negligence. Therefore, we’ve included some links below to more of our guides. We’ve also added some useful resources from external sources that you might find useful.
Claiming For GP Negligence – Information on when it might be possible to claim for GP negligence.
NHS Compensation Claims – A guide explaining how to make a claim against the NHS.
How Long Does A Claim Take? – This guide explains how long medical negligence claims can take.
Online Registry Of Pharmacists – Members of the public can search this registry to check a pharmacist is registered to practice.
Pharmacy Information – A guide from the NHS about the services offered by pharmacies.
Medicine Information – This guide provides information on medicines you can buy online and without a prescription.
Written by Brett
Edited by Lism.