Drug related claims

Drug related mistakes are among the most common medical errors, resulting in unnecessary pain, injury, additional treatment or sometimes death.

If you have suffered an injury or lost a loved one as a result of a drug related error, you may be entitled to personal injury claim compensation.

Common Drug Related Errors

• Prescribing the wrong dose to a child resulting in an overdose 
• Miscalculating weight-sensitive doses resulting in a gross overdose or under dose 
• Misinterpreting safe age ranges of drugs 
• Giving extra doses or missing doses 
• Doctor’s poor handwriting on the prescription resulting in misinterpretation by a pharmacist 
• Giving drugs you should not take which increases the risk of a different condition. 
• Giving drugs prescribed for a different patient resulting in injury or death.

If you have suffered an injury or lost a loved one as a result of surgical error, you may be entitled to claim personal injury compensation.

How does the law protect you?

The professional body regulating doctors is the General Medical Council (GMC). The GMC requires doctors to:

• Make the care of their patient their first concern 
• Protect and promote the health of patients and the public 
• Provide a good standard of practice and care 
• Keep their professional knowledge and skills up to date 
• Recognise and work within the limits of their competence 
• Work with colleagues in the ways that best serve patients' interests 
• Work in partnership with patients 
• Listen to patients and respond to their concerns and preferences 
• Give patients the information they want or need in a way they can understand 
• Respect patients' right to reach decisions with the doctor about their treatment and care 
• Support patients in caring for themselves to improve and maintain their health

Drug related errors are caused by a failure to exercise reasonable care on the part of a doctor.

If you can show that your injury was caused by your doctor or other medical practitioner’s failure to prescribe the right drug in the right dose in the same way as a reasonable doctor specialising in the same field would have, you will succeed in your claim for drug related medical negligence compensation claim. But, you will also need to demonstrate that had your doctor prescribed you the right drug, the end result would have been different.

If you have suffered injury due to a drug related error, give us a call on 0800 321 3287 for free advice. You may be entitled to make a personal injury claim for compensation.