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.

The figures were obtained by legal firm Medical Negligence Assist (MNA), which said such cases can have life-altering consequences.

MNA solicitor Sophie Cope said: “Though they may be rare, medication errors can have devastating and life-altering consequences for both the patient and their families.

“It is really important that mistakes are acknowledged and challenged quickly and effectively to prevent them happening in the future and it is key that those affected know that support is available to them.”

Nationally, NHS trusts in England have paid out more than £54 million in compensation for medication errors since 2019, with legal costs adding a further £35.6 million - bringing the total cost to almost £90 million.

In total, NHS Resolution has received 1,129 claims linked to medication errors in the last five years. Of those, 765 have been settled with damages paid.

The most common reason for claims was unnecessary pain, costing £5.3 million, followed by death (£4.7 million), psychiatric or psychological damage (£1.4 million), and anaphylactic or allergic shock (£1.3 million).

A spokesman for East Kent Hospitals said in a statement:

“We deeply regret when we fall short of the high standards of patient care we aim to provide.

“Every medication incident is carefully reviewed and we share the lessons learned to ensure continuous improvements in the quality of our services and the care we deliver.

“We are committed to delivering safe and effective services and working with staff to improve patient care.”

This is not the first time hospital trusts in Kent have come under scrutiny.

In February, it was revealed that NHS trusts across the county have paid out £118 million for children’s medical negligence claims since 2019 - with the highest amount paid by Medway NHS Foundation Trust.