An allergic reaction to medication

If you have been a victim of any form of negligence? We specialise in pursuing damages against negligent healthcare providers. It’s free and easy to speak with one of our team of negligence solicitors.

Medical negligence happens when a healthcare professional does not do their job properly. Checking your medical records should be their first job before giving you medicine so you do not have a serious allergic reaction.

A drug allergy involves you having a severe reaction due to someone not checking your records before giving you a medicine.

Examples of where medical negligence leads to an allergic reaction happening include:

Pharmacy negligence includes giving a client the incorrect medication. If they give you a medicine to which you are allergic, the results could be catastrophic.

The pharmacist should read your medical records before giving you any new medicine. It is a pharmacy negligence case when you have an allergic reaction to the medication they give you.

The pharmacy buddy system should ensure that two pharmacists check your medication before they hand the bag to you. Medical negligence should not happen at the pharmacy.

If you have a common drug allergy and have an adverse reaction to the medication, you can start a medical negligence compensation claim.

GP medical negligence is when the GP provides service below acceptable standards. It should never happen that they prescribe a medicine to which you have previously had an allergic reaction.

Your GP will know your medical history and should take action to prevent allergic reactions. You have a very strong clinical negligence claim when this happens.

Medical negligence claims can start when the GP does not check the symptoms of a drug. Personal injury claims for allergic reactions to medicine are common and easy to prove.

Hospital medical negligence claims include when a doctor prescribes a medication, and you have an allergic reaction.

The doctor may prescribe a medicine without reading your notes, but your immune system reacts, and you fall ill.

A busy nurse may put the wrong medication in your drip or give you the incorrect medicine on the daily rounds. It may be their error, but you could have a drug reaction.

Medical negligence can prolong your stay in hospital, and you can claim compensation for any financial losses or out-of-pocket expenses.

The types of allergic reactions to medication include stomach cramps, general pain and different kinds of skin rashes. Serious allergic reactions include anaphylactic shock and even death.

An allergic drug rash is often the first sign that you were given a drug to which you have an allergic reaction. Allergic skin rash signs include bumps on the skin, hives and blisters and even a sensitivity to light.

Allergic reactions can happen immediately or may develop over time. If you have a known reaction to a medication, you may recognise the symptoms as soon as they begin.

Preserve all the evidence you have by taking pictures of the medication box, label and contents. Do this as soon as you realise you have suffered from an allergic reaction to a medication.

You should not throw any evidence away, such as receipts or the bag you got with the wrong medication.

Medical negligence cases are settled more quickly when you have a record of the evidence.

Report the mistake to the pharmacy, GP or hospital responsible for giving you the medication. They should undertake an investigation to work out how the error happened and report back to you.

It is important to recognise that this internal investigation is not a compensation claim but a separate investigation which will be useful for your allergic reaction to medication claim.

Once you receive a copy of this investigation, you pass it to your medical negligence solicitor handling your clinical negligence claim.

Getting your medical records after you suffered the allergic reaction to medication is the next step. Your medical negligence solicitor will want access to your records to see what should be happening with your medications.

Your records will show the medicines you have an allergy to, and what happened in your case. All medical negligence cases rely strongly on your records.

By obtaining your medical history and the investigation report from the negligent party, the medical negligence solicitors can judge if you have a valid incorrect medication claim.

Sending a letter of claim to the doctor, pharmacy or hospital happens when the personal injury solicitor sees clear evidence of an allergic reaction to medication claim.

In the letter of claim, they will outline exactly what happened and seek compensation for your clinical negligence claim.

The negligent party has four months to reply to the letter of claim.

Receiving and reviewing the letter of response from the negligent party is the next step. The pharmacy, GP or hospital’s solicitor will accept the blame or deny responsibility in the letter.

If the negligent party accepts responsibility, which they usually do, your solicitor will sit down with them.

At the meeting they can determine how much money you will get for your allergic reaction to medication compensation claim.

Issuing court proceedings happen when the negligent party denies responsibility. It rarely happens with allergic reaction to medication claims, as the evidence is nearly always clear-cut and undeniable.

Less than 1% of medical negligence claims result in the issuing of court proceedings. Of those that do, only a tiny fraction ever even go to court.

Your medical negligence lawyer will issue the court proceedings and advise you on the process.

A team of specialist solicitors with experience in all kinds of medical negligence compensation claims will know if your case is valid. You will work with a specialist medical negligence solicitor from day one.

The No Win No Fee basis means you will not be out of pocket for the clinical negligence claim.