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  • Home
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  • Pharmacy And Medication Negligence Claims

Pharmacy And Medication Negligence Claims

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Tens of thousands of people in the UK have been given the wrong prescription. This is often due to dispensing errors in community pharmacies and chemists. The fact that we need to make pharmacy negligence claims at all suggests the problem is all too common.

This kind of negligence can cause serious side effects and result in extreme illness. Bringing a claim for pharmacy and medication negligence can help to make up for your pain and suffering. In serious cases, you might’ve needed to stop working because of your illness. Compensation can help to make up for loss of earnings and pay for any treatment you might need.

Our many years of working on prescription error compensation claims has shown us how distressing these incidents can be. That’s made us even more determined to get you the compensation you deserve.

Our friendly experts can discuss your individual case in detail and advise on a course of action if you’ve a claim. If you do, we’ll be able to handle it from beginning to end. Call us or contact us online to find out more.

If you were prescribed the wrong medicine or dose by your doctor, you could also make a claim for compensation. We can also help if you experienced medication negligence while in hospital.

What is pharmacy negligence?

There are many different types of errors in pharmacies and, sadly, they can happen to anyone. Pharmacy negligence can happen when a chemist gives you the wrong drug or dose of medication. Most patients don’t have any adverse reactions, but you could be seriously affected by such negligence.

If the wrong dose or medicine is prescribed, you may have an allergic reaction or overdose. In very serious cases, you might even need to be treated in hospital.

Why choose Irwin Mitchell to handle your prescription error compensation claim?

We’re proud to have one of the largest teams of medical negligence experts in the country, having secured more compensation for our clients than any other UK law firm. We’ve handled many pharmacy and medication negligence claims over the years. We've got the experience and the knowhow to get you the compensation you're entitled to.

We’ve represented many people who’ve experienced pharmacy and medication negligence. So, we've seen for ourselves the illness and distress such negligence can bring. This first-hand experience has driven us to fight tirelessly to get our clients the money they deserve.

We’ll make sure you’re properly looked after while we’re fighting your case, too. Our Support and Rehabilitation team are clinical specialists who’ll be able to get you the treatment you need. We’ve excellent links with local charities, support groups, and care homes. This means we can get you help that’s close by.

Our offices are located all over the country, meaning you can come in and meet us somewhere local to you. If you prefer, we’re able to travel to meet you at home or in hospital.

There’s also the option to communicate by email, telephone, or video call – whichever is best for you.

Once we’ve got you the compensation you’re entitled to, our financial planners can help you make sure the money lasts for the rest of your life.

No Win No Fee*
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Support and rehabilitation coordinators to help access specialist support

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Lisa Jordan
Lisa Jordan Partner Meet the team

More information on pharmacy and medication negligence claims

You may have a case for pharmacy negligence compensation if any of the following has happened to you:

  • You’ve been given an incorrect dose or incorrect drug/medication
  • You’ve had an allergic reaction to a prescription drug, e.g. penicillin
  • You’ve had an adverse reaction to a new prescribed drug because any existing medication wasn’t considered
  • You’ve missed medication reviews for the likes of high-dose steroids, antidepressants, and strong analgesia, such as opiates
  • You were administered a drug via an incorrect mode, such as being injected a medicine you should have taken orally.

If you’ve experienced any of the above, or a different type of prescription error, speak to us about making a claim for compensation.

Each case is unique, so it's difficult to say exactly how long your claim will take. We'll start by trying to get the pharmacist to admit responsibility. If they do this straight away, it'll save a lot of time as we won't need to prove it was their fault. This can make for a much faster settlement.

If they deny responsibility, we'll need to prove it, which will take longer. In this case, we’ll begin court proceedings, although your claim may still be settled out of court even when trial dates are set.

From mix-ups between patients and labelling of medication to negligent advice about your condition, many factors determine how long it’ll take. Once we’ve spoken to you about what happened, we’ll be able to give you an estimate of how long it may take.

If you’re making a claim for yourself, you’ve three years from the date of the incorrect prescription to begin the process.

If you’re making the claim on behalf of someone else, other timescales can apply. A claim for a child, for instance, can be made any time up to three years after their 18th birthday. There’s no time limit for claiming on behalf of someone without the mental capacity to make their own claim.

You should be able to accurately date your medical negligence if you still have all the receipts and prescription papers. If you can gather this information in advance of contacting us, we’ll be able to talk you through your options for making a claim.

If you no longer have the receipts and prescriptions, this doesn’t mean you won’t be able to claim. We can ask for records and relevant information to support your claim.

We handle most medical negligence claims using a no win no fee agreement. So, it’s likely you’ll be able to make your claim on a no win no fee basis.

The benefit of making a no win no fee claim is that there’s no financial risk to you if your claim doesn’t succeed. You won’t need to pay anything upfront, and if your claim is successful, most of our fees will be paid by your opponent.

You’ll need an After The Event (ATE) insurance policy, which we’ll take out for you, to make a no win no fee claim. ATE insurance policies are taken out before we contact your opponent. They also protect you from incurring additional costs.

We’ll discuss the finer details of no win no fee, and other funding options available to you, in your initial consultation.

Irwin Mitchell is a firm of the highest integrity that will work for the client to provide an excellent, compassionate service from beginning to end."

Vivian, client

Frequently Asked Questions

How much compensation will I get in a prescription error claim?

How much compensation is awarded in pharmacy negligence claims differs from case to case. We’ll discuss the details of your case, which will give us a better idea of how much you could expect to be awarded.

The final amount of compensation you get will be for the damages caused by the negligence you experienced. It also accounts for any future losses you're likely to incur. This includes loss of income, travel expenses to and from hospital appointments, and paying for any treatment you need.

Who can make a pharmacy negligence compensation claim?

If you’ve become ill because of a negligent pharmacist prescribing the wrong drug or dose, you may be entitled to compensation.

You can also claim on behalf of a loved one if they’re under 18 or don’t have the mental capacity to do so themselves.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with the details of your pharmacy negligence case. We’ll be on hand to help when you need us.

How can I protect myself from pharmacy negligence?

It’s the responsibility of the pharmacy to ensure you’re given the right medication in the correct dosage. However, there are certain steps you can take to avoid illness and/or prescription errors.

To help protect yourself from pharmacy negligence, you should:

  • Check it’s your name on the medication sticker/box. If you’ve more than one box of medication, do this for each of them
  • Make sure the medicine you’ve been given by the pharmacist matches the name and dose stated on your prescription
  • Make sure your pharmacist knows if you’re taking any medication besides the one prescribed to you
  • Ask the pharmacist to confirm how and when you should take the medicine
  • Attend check-ups with your doctor if you’re taking medicine on a repeat prescription.
Read More FAQs

Related Information - Pharmacy And Medication Negligence Claims

Rehabilitation - we believe strongly in the importance of rehabilitation when it comes to compensation claims
Misdiagnosis - we have a great deal of experience in misdiagnosis claims
Medical Negligence Compensation Guide - find out more about making a medical negligence claim
Court Of Protection - help with safeguarding your affairs

Scottish Flag All Scottish cases will be handled by the Scottish law firm with which we are associated, Irwin Mitchell Scotland LLP. The law relating to funding is different in Scotland and you will receive separate advice about what that means as well as a separate funding agreement.

 

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