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Many medical negligence solicitors report taking on a growing number of cases related to the negligent prescription of drugs. And this anecdotal evidence seems to be confirmed by official statistics too.
In 2009 an informal parliamentary inquiry revealed that in the previous year drugs killed 1,299 NHS patients, a rise of more than double the 1998 figure of 520.
A look at 2007's figures indicates that the acuteness of the situation has been steadily rising: in this year 1,030 patients died as a result of drug-related complications, the first time the figure had passed the 1,000 threshold in a number of years.
Although the most common explanation for these deaths is "adverse reaction", it is not uncommon for medical negligence solicitors to become involved in many of these cases.
Peter Walsh, from Action Against Medical Accidents, comments, "There are far too many complications resulting in harm or death. These numbers must be reduced, and it must be in the gift of a modern NHS to get them down.
"The true figure will undoubtedly be much higher, because not all incidents are reported. And in many cases doctors simply do not know what caused a sudden deterioration or a death - the drugs or another cause.
"Problems with medicines are one of the biggest patient safety issues faced by the NHS."
While Norman Lamb, who is the health spokesperson with the Liberal Democrats and was instrumental in ensuring the figures were released, has called on the government to do more. "The Government needs to urgently investigate this extraordinary rise," he says.
"The public needs to know why these adverse reactions are happening more frequently and why the trend appears to be increasing so much. Patient safety is being compromised. Ministers must ensure that better information on prescription drugs is available for patients and doctors."
Leading medical negligence solicitors
YouClaim offers expert legal advice in to people who are considering whether it might be in their interests to make a clinical negligence claim.
Any initial consultation with our advisors is completely cost free.
Although the complex nature of this type of litigation prevents solicitors from being able to offer cost free representation, we do seek to keep all costs to a minimum while also advising of them in advance - and all should be reimbursable in the event of a won case (as most of ours are).
As we are a 100% compensation provider, you can rest assured neither we nor anyone else associated with us will ever take a cut from any settlement awarded you.
Our medical negligence solicitors are all governed by the relevant subsection of the Law Society, while many also have membership of the Clinical Negligence Accreditation Scheme.
If you feel that you or someone close to you may be entitled to receive compensation for negligent or substandard care, feel free to make enquiries through echat, our online claim form, or by calling us, on 0800 10 757 95.
