Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has described drug errors in England as causing 'appalling levels of harm and deaths', following a study estimating 237 million mistakes occur annually. This equates to one error for every five drugs dispensed, with GPs, pharmacists, hospitals and care homes all implicated.
The research, conducted by universities in Manchester, Sheffield and York, suggests most errors cause no harm, but over a quarter could have led to injury. Drug mistakes may be a factor in thousands of deaths each year, with an estimated 700 directly attributable to such errors, and between 1,700 and 22,300 other deaths where they may have played a role.
One case highlighted involved Catherine Young's 92-year-old mother, Irene, who lived in a care home. Her prescription was mixed up with another patient's, leading to withdrawal from steroids for polymyalgia rheumatica and unnecessary eye drops. Ms Young said the error was missed by the GP, pharmacist and care home staff, and only spotted when she questioned the medication after noticing her mother's deterioration.
Royal College of Nursing chief executive Janet Davies called the study 'deeply concerning', citing staff shortages and financial pressures as risks to patient safety. Mr Hunt acknowledged the findings, noting the problem is global but stressed the NHS is taking steps to reduce mistakes, including rolling out electronic prescribing, which could halve errors. He also called for greater openness, with a legal change to protect pharmacists who admit genuine mistakes.
