NURSES tried to give a patient the wrong medication after her notes got mixed up, it has been claimed.

Carol Drury, 61, was handed tablets designed to treat patients recovering from heart operations during her stay at Basildon Hospital.

She was first admitted with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, osteoporosis and chronic asthma on Wednesday, March 3.

Mrs Drury, from South Ockendon, has since been discharged and re-admitted a further four times.

She claims the mistake on Florence Nightingale ward was only picked up when she commented that her medication looked different to normal.

Mrs Drury claims a patient in the next bed then said her tablets were incorrect. She added it was at this point nurses realised their notes must have been an error with medical notes.

Her daughter Claire Drury, 29, has now complained to Basildon Hospital.
She said: “It only got picked up because my mum and the patient next to her recognised that the tablets were totally different to normal. What if they weren’t capable of picking up the mix-up? It could have caused serious problems for them both. I’m disgusted.

“There are some really good doctors and nurses at the hospital, but there are also some really bad ones. You really need to have faith in the people who are looking after you, but a lot of patients find it hard to at Basildon Hospital.

“I’m just worried about my mum and don’t want anything like this to happen to other people.”

Mrs Drury was last re-admitted on Monday, April 22, and is due to be discharged by the end of this week.

Basildon Hospital insist doctors and nurses check patients identity against their wristband before medication is administered.

A spokeman said: “Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is sorry if Mrs Drury is unhappy with any aspects of her care.

“As she is currently an inpatient we are investigating her concerns at ward level.”