Medication Related Harm and When to Claim Compensation
Medication administration and prescription is carried out across the NHS thousands of times a day. Perhaps not surprisingly, occasionally something goes wrong and the patient suffers as a result. When is it appropriate to make a claim for compensation?
Medication negligence
By its very nature, medication is designed to cause an impact to the patient's body in some way. It is essential, therefore, that the correct medication, in the appropriate dosage, is prescribed or administered to the correct patient in the appropriate timeframe.
An error affecting any of these factors can sometimes be life-changing or even life-threatening.
Examples of medication errors could include the following:
- Incorrect medication being prescribed or administered to the patient, meaning that either the medication is not the appropriate treatment for the patient's condition or that it is not appropriate for that patient due to allergies, previous medication or other contraindications
- The incorrect dosage being prescribed, perhaps failing to take account of the patient's risk factors, weight or recent medication history or even due to an error of knowledge
- Incorrect timing instructions being given to the patient, meaning that either too little or too much medication is ingested
- Significant delays in the administration of medication to an in-hospital patient
When to claim compensation
In many circumstances, a medication error may have little impact on the patient or their long-term outcome. However, where a medication related error, such as those above, has caused the patient to suffer significant consequences, it may be possible to make a claim for compensation. A successful claim, which is the patient's legal entitlement, would take account of the financial impact of the negligence. This may include the costs of treatment, equipment or care which would not have been necessary but for the negligence.
Any loss of earnings, both past and future, which has been caused by the impact of the negligence would also be included in a claim.
Timing
If you or a loved one are struggling with the impact of a medication error on the part of medical professionals, speak to a legal specialist as soon as possible.
Medical negligence claims need to be thoroughly investigated before they can be issued with a court and the deadline for this is three years from the date of the negligence.
Free legal advice
Glynns Solicitors is a dedicated medical negligence legal practice with a team of highly experienced specialist lawyers.
Contact us to talk to a solicitor, free of charge, about your situation and the possibility of making a claim for compensation of their impact of medication related harm.
We can offer No Win No Fee medical negligence funding which we will discuss with you during your free initial telephone discussion.
Please call us free on 0800 234 3300 or complete our Online Enquiry Form.
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