- Dawn Britton was given wrong tablets at pharmacy in Kingswood, BristolÂ
- They were of similar shape and size to ones needed to treat her condition
- She collapsed and fell into a coma after taking drug for several weeksÂ
- Mrs Britton, 62, never recovered and died in hospital one month later
Stephanie Linning for MailOnline
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A grandmother with Crohn’s disease died after a pharmacy wrongly filled her prescription, giving her medicine which lowered her blood sugar levels to fatal levels.
Mother-of-three Dawn Britton fell into a coma and later died after staff at the pharmacy in Kingswood, Bristol, handed her tablets for diabetes sufferers rather than those needed to treat her condition.
The 62-year old collapsed after taking the diabetes pills, which were a similar shape and size to her regular medication, for several weeks.Â
Collapsed: Mother-of-three Dawn Britton, pictured with daughter Tammy on her wedding day, fell into a coma after taking the wrong medication for several weeks. She died in hospital one month later
She fell into a hypoglycaemic coma from which she never recovered and died a month later in Frenchay Hospital.Â
The inquest into her death heard that she died from a lack of oxygen as a result of the tablets lowering her blood sugar level.
Mrs Britton’s children said they are furious that no one at the Jhoots Pharmacy branch on Pool Road has been held responsible. They are now planning to sue.
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Her son Lee Britton, 41, said: ‘We were told it was not in the public interest to prosecute, but how can people be allowed to get away with killing our mother?
‘That’s what it amounts to. I work as a gas meter reader, I am expected to spot any problems at customers’ houses.
‘If I checked a meter and then it blew up the next day, I’d be held accountable.
Wrong tablets: Mrs Britton, pictured, died from a lack of oxygen as a result of the tablets lowering her blood sugar level, the inquest heard
‘Yet here, our mum has been killed, and it’s simply swept under the carpet. It’s disgraceful.’
Mrs Britton’s daughter Tammy Haskins, 40, added: ‘Still today I can’t comprehend what happened to our mother, and the devastation caused to our family by her loss.
‘Even now, when I think about how she died, I still can’t quite believe it.
‘I go through so many emotions when I think about it. I am gutted and upset, but I am also still angry. Mum should still be here today.’
The inquest at Flax Bourton Coroners Court, Avon, heard that Mrs Britton visited the pharmacy in Pool Road, Bristol, in August last year to collect her regular long-term medication.
But instead of Prednisolone tablets, used to control her Crohn’s disease and breathing difficulties, she was handed Gliclazide tablets, which are used by diabetics.
Mrs Britton, from Bristol, had been taking them for several weeks when her son, Lee, found her unconscious next to a packet of the pills on October 23.
He attempted to revive her before calling emergency services, who carried out CPR and rushed her to Frenchay Hospital, in Bristol.
The grandmother-of-five remained in hospital for a month until she passed away surrounded by her family on November 20.Â
The pharmacist who was working in the branch that day apologised to the family while in the witness box, but remained adamant she had followed all procedures.
Mrs Haskins added that her mother was very organised when it came to her medication but may not have realised the mistake because the two different tablets were of a similar size and shape.
‘Dispensing error’: A member of staff at Jhoots Pharmacy in Kingswood, Bristol, pictured above, gave Mrs Britton the wrong medication. The pharmacist responsible apologised to her family in the witness box
She said: ‘My mum was sharp and intelligent and knew when she needed her tablets and how many she had to take.
‘The problem was these tablets for diabetes looked very similar to those she normally took. They were the same colour and a similar size.
‘When you are given medication by a pharmacist, especially one you have had the same prescription from for some time, you don’t expect it to be wrong. You trust them to get it right.
‘Devastated’: Mrs Britton’s daughter Tammy Haskins, pictured, said she still could not believe that her mother had died
‘My mum has lost her life because somebody simply failed to check the medication they were giving out was correct.’
Recording a narrative conclusion, coroner Maria Voisin said: ‘She died of hypoxic brain injury as a result of profound hypoglycaemia caused by her having taken Gliclazide tablets dispensed for her in error by a pharmacist.’
Renu Daly, a specialist clinical negligence solicitor at Neil Hudgell Solicitors, said Mrs Britton’s death was as a result of an ‘unacceptable pharmaceutical dispensing error’.
She said: ‘The failure to correctly label and supply Ms Britton with her prescribed medication, instead giving her a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes, resulted in her falling into a hypoglycaemic coma from which she never recovered.
‘Unsurprisingly, the death of Ms Britton has had a devastating impact on her family. It was completely avoidable and should never have occurred.’
A spokesman for Jhoots Pharmacy said: ‘A dispensing error occurred at our Pool Road Pharmacy in Bristol on 2nd August 2013.
‘The Coroner found that Mrs Britton’s death was due to a hypoglycaemic episode and hypoxic brain injury arising from this error.
‘Everyone at Jhoots is very saddened by this tragic event. We wish to say how sorry we are for what has happened.
‘We do not wish to prejudice any further investigations by commenting further at this time.’
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