Health ministers have proposed the introduction of an airline-style error reporting system for community pharmacy. They argue that decriminalising medication errors will encourage more transparency and lead to greater accountability.

Pharmacist self-reports suggest that out of a billion prescriptions issued annually, roughly 10,000 medication errors are made. However, academic research indicates that the figure could be as high as a quarter of a million.

Pharmacists currently face criminal charges if they confess to medication errors. The proposed law change under consideration by the Department of Health would remove the risk of prosecution.

A DoH representative said: “Encouraging pharmacists and their teams to come forward when they do make mistakes means that patients get better, safer care.

“Pharmacy professionals will learn from mistakes and prevent them from happening again. By decriminalising mistakes we will promote a more open culture of transparency.”