Pharmacies such as Paydens Pharmacy owe their patients a duty of care. If pharmacies make a prescription error, for example giving the wrong medication to a patient, they could be held liable for any injuries caused to that patient. As a result, the patient could potentially make a medical negligence claim for compensation.
To see if you are eligible to claim compensation if the incorrect medication by Paydens Pharmacy has been dispensed and you have been ill or had your existing medical condition made worse speak to an advisor about your case. Medical Negligence Assist could handle your wrong medication or prescription error claim. Our panel of solicitors have decades of experience handling medical negligence claims and will push to win you the maximum amount of money you could be owed.
Call Medical Negligence Assist today, to speak to an advisor about your prospects. If we can see that you have legitimate grounds on which to make a claim for compensation for your injuries, we could provide you with a medical negligence solicitor to handle your case. Call us today on 0800 652 3087 or use our medical negligence claim form to reach us. Contact us today, to get started on your claim.
Choose A Topic
- A Guide On Making Claims For Prescription Errors By A Paydens Pharmacy
- What Are Pharmacy Wrong Medication Errors?
- Top Examples Of Prescription Medication Errors
- Effects Caused By Prescription Mistakes
- Time Limits In Which To Claim Compensation For Pharmacy Errors
- What Could You Claim? – Calculating Prescription Error Claims
- No Win No Fee Claims For Pharmacy Wrong Medication Negligence
- How Medical Negligence Assist Could Handle Your Claim
- Start Your Claim
- Where To Learn More
A Guide On Making Claims For Prescription Errors By A Paydens Pharmacy
We have created this guide for people who have been ill or suffered a deterioration of their medical condition, because a pharmacist gave them the wrong medication, wrong dosage of medication, or made another medical error. In this guide, we will give you examples of potential pharmacy mistakes and will explain how patients could be harmed as a result. We will also explain how to make a medical negligence claim for compensation and we have included a medical negligence claims calculator, to help you estimate how much compensation you could be awarded.
If you were ill because Paydens Pharmacy dispensed wrong medication, call Medical Negligence Assist today to speak to one of our advisors. If we can see that you are eligible for compensation, we could provide you with a medical negligence lawyer, who will start working on your claim as soon as possible. Call today, we’re looking forward to hearing from you.
What Are Pharmacy Wrong Medication Errors?
Pharmacists have a duty of care towards their patients. This means that they are responsible for providing them with an adequate service, dispensing the correct type and dosage of medication and giving patients correct medical advice, where needed. Taking the wrong type or dosage of medication could have a serious impact on a patient, pharmacists must follow a strict set of rules when dispensing prescriptions. If a pharmacist makes a prescription error or provides a patient with substandard care, which results in the patient suffering adverse effects, this breaches their duty of care. Therefore, the pharmacy could be held liable for the patient’s illness, or the worsening of their pre-existing medical condition and as a result, the patient could potentially make a medical negligence claim for compensation.
Why is it so important that pharmacists do not make medication errors? A patient taking the wrong medication for their condition could have a toxic effect on the body. In some instances, such as a patient being given a substance that they are allergic to, the results can be fatal. There were 7 deaths linked to high street chemists between 2009 – 2015. In other instances, the patient could become seriously ill, or the medication could be ineffective, causing their medical condition to worsen. In the tragic instance that a patient dies because they were given the wrong prescription their next of kin relatives may be able to claim compensation on their behalf.
In the United Kingdom, a billion prescriptions are dispensed each year. Self-reporting statistics (statistics based on numbers that are submitted by the pharmacist) show that out of a billion prescriptions a year which is dispensed, 10,000 involve a pharmacy error. This number is low, which could be in part due to pharmacists omitting to report genuine mistakes they have made. Until 2015, pharmacists could be prosecuted if they made a prescription error, resulting in a patient coming to harm, even if it was a genuine mistake. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society campaigned to change the law, to protect the pharmacist from prosecution if they made an error. They did so hoping it would create a culture of transparency where pharmacists admit to and learn from mistakes, preventing errors in pharmacies in the future.
Source URL: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-32832536
Top Examples Of Prescription Medication Errors
What types of pharmacy mistakes do people claim compensation for? Here are some examples of potential pharmacy prescription errors that you could make a medical negligence claim for.
Claims For Prescriptions Delayed By A Pharmacy
Some patients on repeat prescriptions are dependent on their medication. For example, a patient with congenital heart failure may be dependent on their medication, to stop their condition becoming progressively worse. If a pharmacist acts negligently, causing unnecessary delays to a prescription being dispensed, they could cause a patient to become more ill, as a result.
Claims For The Dangerous Mixing Of Medication
Some medications can have a toxic effect when they are mixed. This is because mixing one type of medication with another can change the way the active ingredients work. For example, ADHD medication Ritalin is a stimulant to increase the patient’s attention span and alertness. If it is mixed with other medications such as over the counter cold and flu medication or decongestants, the patient could experience an increased heart rate or high blood pressure.
If a pharmacist dispenses the incorrect medication and gives the patient a combination of drugs which are dangerous if taken together, they could be held liable for any harm that comes to the patient. Similarly, if the pharmacist prepares the medication and it is found to have traces of another medication, which can have an adverse effect, this could be pharmacy negligence.
Claims For Being Dispensed A Medication You Are Allergic To
What is an allergic reaction? An allergy is when the body’s immune system has an abnormal reaction to a substance. It could be food, dust or a type of medication. Some types of allergic reactions to medicine have minor symptoms, such as the sufferer experiencing hives or a rash. If a person suffers from a severe allergy they could experience life-threatening symptoms such as anaphylactic shock, whereby the person could fall into a coma.
If a pharmacist makes an error where they give the patient the wrong type of medication, this could cause the patient to accidentally take medication that they are allergic to, and suffer an allergic reaction as a result.
Claims For Pharmacists Dispensing The Wrong Dose
It is very important that patients take the correct dosage of medication. If a patient takes too low a dosage of medication, the medication may not have any effect at all and the patient may become more ill. If a patient takes too high a dosage of the medication they can experience a drug overdose. Consequences of a drug overdose can include suffering kidney damage, liver damage or cardiac arrest, which can be fatal. Single tablets can contain different dosages of medication, so it is vital that the pharmacist dispenses the correct dosage of medication.
If a pharmacy gave you the wrong dosage of medication, call Medical Negligence Assist to see if you are owed compensation.
Claims For Pharmacists Giving You A Different Person’s Medication
Another type of wrong medication negligence is if the medication of two or more patients is mixed up. This means that two or more patients will receive the wrong prescription. As a result, the patients could take medication that is not suitable for them, which could have a toxic effect in extreme cases.
It is recommended that patients always read the label on their package and check that the bottle or blister pack the medication comes in, is the medicine that their doctor prescribed to them, for safety reasons. However, pharmacists should never rely on patients doing this and should follow protocol to always ensure the right prescription is dispensed for the right patient.
Claims For A Pharmacist Giving You Medication You Weren’t Prescribed
A potential prescription error is a patient being given medication that they were not prescribed. Receiving the wrong medication can have a toxic effect on the body. Pharmacists must follow professional protocols to ensure that they don’t dispense the wrong medication to the patient.
What to do if your pharmacy gives wrong medication, in the UK? If you have been ill, or had your medical condition worsened because of a Paydens Pharmacy prescription error, you may be able to claim compensation for your injuries. Call Medical Negligence Assist today and if you have the right to claim, we can provide you with a medical negligence solicitor to handle your case.
Effects Caused By Prescription Mistakes
As well as being qualified to dispense medication, pharmacists are qualified to advise customers about what medication they can take and how to take medication effectively. Even some over the counter medications are not suitable for everyone. For example, if a patient is taking the blood thinner Coumadin, taking ibuprofen could cause internal bleeding in the stomach. Similarly over the counter cold and flu medication that contains pseudoephedrine is not suitable for patients with high blood pressure. This is because pseudoephedrine can increase the patient’s blood pressure further.
For patients who are already on medication, or have serious medical conditions, pharmacists advice can be essential when purchasing over the counter medication. If a pharmacist misinforms a patient about whether or not medication is suitable for them, and the patient experiences an adverse effect as a result, this could be medical negligence.
Time Limits In Which To Claim Compensation For Pharmacy Errors
If you have been ill or experienced a worsening of your existing medical condition, because of a prescription error, you may be able to claim compensation. Please note that in the UK there is a medical negligence claims time limit, of three years. This means that you will have three years in which to begin your medical negligence claim, from the day that you experienced medical negligence or the day that you realised that you had been harmed. We recommend that you call Medical Negligence Assist today, to start your claim as soon as possible and avoid falling outside of the time limit.
What Could You Claim? – Calculating Prescription Error Claims
If you make a successful medical negligence claim against a pharmacy, your compensation will be awarded in two parts, general damages and special damages.
General damages is the main part of your compensation package and usually is the largest. General damages compensate the claimant for the pain, suffering and loss of amenity they have experienced, as a result of their injuries.
You can use our medical negligence claims calculator to estimate how much compensation you could be awarded in general damages. Please note, this doesn’t reflect your personal circumstances. For an accurate quote based on your injuries, call Medical Negligence Assist today to speak to an advisor.
| Type Of Harm Caused | Severity | Notes | Settlement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kidney Damage | A | Serious (and possibly) permanent damage to or even the loss of both kidneys. | £158,970 to £197,480 |
| Kidney Damage | B | The severity of cases will vary and more severe cases gain a higher settlement. There may be significant risk of future damage or loss of natural kidney function. | up to £60,050 |
| Kidney Damage | C | The loss of one kidney where the other kidney is not damaged. | £28,880 to £42,110 |
| Non-traumatic injury | (i) | A severe illness which causes serious or acute vomiting, pain and diarrhoea as well as fever. Requires hospital care for days or weeks. Followed by some related symptoms such as IBS or incontinence. Significantly impacts ability to work and have a social life. | £36,060 to £49,270 |
| Non-traumatic injury | (ii) | Serious, but shorter lasting illnesses. Symptoms may be similar to those outlined above, but at a lower level or severity. Could still affect work and social life. May also impact bowel functions and sex life. | £8,950 to £18,020 |
| Non-traumatic injury | (iii) | Illness, such as poisoning, which causes significant discomfort and symptoms similar to those highlighted above. May last for a few weeks. Full recovery in less than two years. | £3,710 to £8,950 |
| Bowel Injury | A | Instances of double incontinence, total loss of urinary and bowel control. May be other medical conditions as well. | Up to £172,860 |
| Bowel Injury | B | Loss of natural bowel functions and dependence on using a colostomy. | Up to £140,870 |
| Bowel Injury | C | Faecal urgency as well as passive incontinence which is persistent even after surgery. May cause distress and embarrassment. May follow child birth. | In the region of £75,000 |
| Bowel Injury | D | Causing severe abdominal symptoms and injury which impairs the bowel function and which requires a (temporary) colostomy. | £41,850 to £65,440 |
In addition to general damages, you may also be able to claim special damages. What are these? Special damages are funds to reimburse the claimant for any expenses or financial losses they have incurred as a result of their injuries or illness. Here are some examples of what our clients use special damages to claim for:
- Travel expenses
- Medical expenses
- At home care expenses
- Home or car adaptation expenses
- Mobility equipment expenses
- Reimbursement for loss of income
Call Medical Negligence Assist today, to see how much compensation you could be awarded.
No Win No Fee Claims For Pharmacy Wrong Medication Negligence
If you choose to make a wrong medication negligence claim with Medical Negligence Assist, our panel of solicitors can handle your claim on a no win no fee basis.
What does no win no fee mean? A no win no fee solicitor will not charge you an upfront solicitors fee (in some cases, you may pay a non-refundable insurance fee), making a no win no fee claim the more affordable option for many. Instead, you will pay a success fee, if your claim is successful. It will be deducted out of your compensation package. In the unlikely event that you don’t win your claim, you won’t have to pay your solicitors fee, so there’s less financial risk involved for you.
To learn more about making a no win no fee claim, contact Medical Negligence Assist today to speak to an advisor.
How Medical Negligence Assist Could Handle Your Claim
If you have been ill or had your medical condition worsened because of prescription negligence you may be eligible to claim compensation. Using a solicitor to handle your claim, gives you a greater chance of success. Our panel of solicitors will also be able to value your compensation claim based on your medical report, and will push to win you the maximum amount of compensation you could be owed, so you won’t be short-changed.
What Can Medical Negligence Assist Offer You?
- A one to one consultation with an advisor
- The services of a solicitor with years of experience
- Advice from your solicitor throughout the course of your claim
- A promise that our panel of solicitors will always push to win you the maximum amount of money you could be owed.
Start Your Claim
To begin your medical negligence claim, call us on 0800 652 3087 or use our medical negligence claims form to reach us. If you have legitimate grounds to make a compensation claim, we will provide you with a knowledgeable medical negligence solicitor who will start working on your case as soon as possible. Call now, to see how much compensation you could claim.
Where To Learn More
External Resources
The Official Pharmacy Services Negotiating Committee Website – Information on pharmacy regulation.
The Official General Pharmaceutical Council Website – Further pharmacy regulation information.
Medical Negligence Assist Articles You May Find Helpful
Misdiagnosis Negligence Compensation Claims – Claims for medical misdiagnosis.
Pharmacy Negligence Compensation – How to make a claim against a pharmacy.
Medical Negligence Claims Time Limit – In the UK there is a medical negligence claims time limit.
Written by Hana
Edited by Lis.