Glasgow medics in Sheriff Court after overdose

The father of a teenaged girl who died as a result of an intravenous paracetamol overdose, given in Glasgow's Southern General Hospital, has called for those responsible to be prosecuted for her death as a result of their medical negligence.

The incident occurred in June 2008 when the 19-year-old was being treated for an infection. However, a rare condition meant that she was only four feet in height and medics failed to calculate the correct dosage to be applied.

In his written determination Sheriff Andrew Cubie said that the prescribing doctor and the pharmacist should have checked the BNF (British National Formulary) as the use of intravenous paracetamol was uncommon. The nurse who administered the drug was also cited by Sheriff Cubie as having failed to check the correct dosage for the patient's weight of only five and half stone.

The doctor admitted to the inquiry at Glasgow Sheriff Court that she had never seen or spoken to the patient and did not realise her weight was low. She therefore prescribed an adult dose of the drug.

The girl's father spoke of his disappointment at the outcome of the inquiry into the hospital's medical negligence, but made no mention of seeking redress through the commencement of a compensation claim.

He said, "I would like to see these people held accountable for what they did, I want a prosecution. These people caused the death of my daughter. Her death didn't have anything to do with illness, it was caused when they gave her double the amount of the drug she should have been given and continued to do it again and again."