East Kent Hospitals Trust pays out more than £4 million in compensation for negligence claims relating to medication errors since 2019

A Kent hospitals trust has paid out more in compensation for medication blunders than any other in England, new data suggests.

Since 2019, East Kent Hospitals - which runs the Kent and Canterbury Hospital, QEQM in Margate, and William Harvey in Ashford - has handed over almost £5 million to patients affected by errors in prescribing, dispensing, administering or advising on medicine.

According to figures released by NHS Resolution - the legal arm of the health service - the 10 negligence claims settled by the trust over five years cost it £4,723,658 in compensation.

This sum is the highest of any trust in the country where at least five claims have been settled, and does not include legal fees, meaning the full cost to taxpayers is even higher.

Medication errors, which the NHS defines as patient safety incidents involving mistakes with medicines, can include prescribing the wrong drug or dose, poor communication between hospitals and GPs, or failing to properly monitor patients on powerful medication.

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Source: Kent Online, 6 May 2025