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Potentially deadly 'incidents' involving medication are being reported once every day and a half, worrying new data has revealed. A Freedom of Information Request revealed that since 2020, there have been 1,216 recorded incidents of errors, near misses or incidents involving kids under the age of 16 at NHS Glasgow hospitals. Of these, six were deemed to have caused major illness or injury leading to intensive care or surgical intervention. A further 27 cases were identified as causing moderate and 183 were found to be minor. There were also 216 near misses and 636 cases where no adverse outcomes were detected. The worrying data comes after Glasgow Live told how first-time parents Ahad Ul Hassan and Hira Mansoor, from Ayr, had their world "flipped upside down" after their eight-week-old son Zohan was overdosed at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, after being admitted for hernia-repair surgery on March 18. Baby Zohan suffered a traumatic reaction to an overdose after he was administered 200mg of paracetamol instead of the required 20mg during surgery, leaving his parents "praying for a miracle". It was later revealed that following the 'human error', he had a swelling on the brain. Fortunately, the youngster was able to be discharged on April 1. The parents later told Glasgow Live that they had 'lost all trust' in NHS. In the wake of the incident, multiple other parents reached out to Glasgow Live and our sister publication, the Daily Record, to express concerns with the treatment their child received in the care of NHS Glasgow. Mum Ellie McAdam told how Theo McAdam, 2, was left in agony after being given just a tenth of the morphine required following heart surgery in June last year. Ellie told how her son pulled wires out of his own chest which caused his lung to collapse as he woke up. Glasgow Live previously told how NHS patients in Glasgow have lodged hundreds of complaints against the health board over treatment and diagnosis. Data from the Public Service Ombudsman, which regulates the public sector, shows that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde received the most complaints of any health board and had the most upheld, last year. Of the 222 lodged against NHS Glasgow, 156 related to clinical treatment and diagnosis. The majority of cases (181) did not lead to reports, with some being resolved, dealt with by the health board's complaint team, or unable to proceed. The regulator heard 26 cases, with 15 being upheld, seven being partially upheld, and four being rejected. A spokesperson for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde told Glasgow Live: "The figure of 1,216 incidents reflects the broad scope of the FOI request, which included any event where medication was involved. This figure does not relate specifically to medication errors. "Since the Royal Hospital for Children’s electronic prescribing and administration system went live in September 2022, more than 1.35 million doses of medicine have been prescribed. The actual number of medicines administered is significantly higher, as prescribing in theatres, day cases, outpatients, and the Emergency Department is not recorded electronically. "Based on these figures, an incident, error, or near miss is recorded in fewer than 0.089% of administrations, but this number is likely much lower. "We have a robust programme of investigation, improvement, and staff education in place to reduce the risk of medication incidents and ensure patient safety." Join Glasgow Live's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. Sign up to our daily Glasgow Live newsletter here to receive news and features direct to your inbox.
