Visiting a GP, receiving a diagnosis and being prescribed the correct medication are steps towards good health that many people take for granted in the UK.

When one or more of these steps fails to function as it should, however, it becomes apparent very quickly just how important it is for each step to be completed without error.

Prescription Errors

Most pharmacies in England and Wales can be relied on to supply the correct medication to patients. Of course, pharmacists are only human and, notwithstanding the heavy responsibility weighing on their shoulders, some pharmacists do make mistakes. Sadly, mistakes of this kind can result in serious injury, illness or even death.

Prescription errors may be caused by doctors failing to accurately diagnose a patient, ignoring vital information about allergies or some other act of medical negligence. In some cases, however, the pharmacy supplying prescribed medication may be liable for an illness caused to a patient.

Not all medicines are available in packets, sachets and bottles. Pharmacists are often required to prepare mixtures and tablets after receiving prescriptions from doctors. Whilst many pharmacists employ strict controls to maintain the highest standards, some pharmacists make mistakes. A common pharmacy error is to prepare an incorrect dosage for the patient. Obviously, too little medication could fail to treat a condition and it could actually make it worse, whilst too much could cause other complications.

Contraindications

Not all medicines are prescribed by doctors, but even those that are ought to be checked in some cases. Contraindications are health-related conditions that should preclude the prescribing or administering of certain types of medicine or treatment. Iron tablets, for instance, should not be prescribed to a person suffering from haemochromatosis, which is marked by an overloading of iron in the body. The pharmacist is required, therefore, to request certain information from the patient or their doctor to ensure that a particular medicine is not going to cause harm. Failure to do this may be deemed negligent and could give rise to a claim for compensation.

Incompatibility

Some medicines do not work well with others. Pharmacists ought to know which medicines should not be mixed, so providing patients with two types of treatment that could cause harm may constitute negligence in the eyes of the law.

Patients with certain allergies should not be prescribed certain medicines. Although the GP ought to prescribe the correct medication, a pharmacy is also responsible for checking that the patient does not suffer from allergies that may be exacerbated by a particular treatment.

Claiming Compensation

It is important to bring a prescription-related error to the attention of the relevant doctor, hospital or pharmacy, not least to protect others from harm. If a serious illness or injury has been caused by a pharmacy error, the patient may wish to bring a claim for compensation, which would be handled as any other clinical negligence claim.