Last year, a shocking 34,000 medication errors were reported, resulting in 21 patient deaths and 27 cases of serious harm, according to The Express. A total of 5,500 patients were affected in some way by prescription mistakes, such as wrong medication or dosage. These alarming figures were revealed in response to a question from Labour’s shadow health minister Karin Smyth MP, showing that over 30,000 medication errors occurred across all NHS trusts.
The Guardian also reported on prescription errors in 2021, with nearly 6,000 people harmed and 29 deaths. The national reporting and learning system recorded 43,452 prescription errors that year. Despite investments in technology like ePMA systems, aimed at reducing errors by 30%, a BMJ survey in 2023 found that three-quarters of NHS trusts in England still rely on paper-based prescribing.
The delay in implementing ePMAs has been a concern, with the deadline now pushed back to 2025 due to digital maturity and funding issues. However, with a new £3.4 billion investment in NHS digitisation from the spring budget, there is renewed hope for a stronger focus on eprescribing to prevent further medication errors.
