Our client, P, brought a claim against her pharmacist after her prescription for Lithium was not dispensed properly. P suffers from Bipolar disorder and relies on her Lithium levels being maintained to manage her symptoms. She went to her local pharmacy to have her prescription dispensed, but the pharmacist mistakenly gave her double her prescription of Quetiapine and no Lithium.
When challenged by P’s daughter, the pharmacist refused to say that he did anything wrong. P very sadly had to go back into hospital to have her Lithium level re-titrated. She was in the hospital for one month and had to be looked after by her daughter when she was discharged. She also suffered a marriage breakdown because of her admission to hospital and had her driver’s licence removed for six months. She missed Christmas with her family and her own landmark 70th birthday celebrations.
Our involvement
We sent a letter of claim to the defendants, who following their own investigations admitted liability and indicated that we may be able to resolve the case without the need for potentially stressful court proceedings. We then proceeded to quantify the losses P had suffered. The extent of the damage was not agreed upon initially by the defendant, but following negotiation, we were able to agree on a settlement to reflect the losses P has suffered and bring her claim to a conclusion. The money will help P rebuild her life following her discharge and will act as an acknowledgement of the way she was let down by her pharmacist.
To find out more about how we can provide support for cases involving a prescription error, or clinical negligence claims in general, please contact either David Evison or Sacha Hibbitt.
