A 63-year-old woman has received compensation for medical negligence after being given the wrong prescription by a supermarket pharmacy.

It is reported that Margaret Kelly had a friend collect her prescription from Morrisons supermarket, who assumed that they were her usual drugs - a steroid for her chest infection - and she took eight of the tablets as prescribed by her GP when they were delivered to her.

However, shortly after this she received a call from the supermarket pharmacist asking if she had taken any of the pills; it transpired that they were not the drugs she had been prescribed but were powerful heart drugs. During the phone call she was told she needed an ambulance immediately, following which she was taken to the Victoria Royal Infirmary in Glasgow where doctors informed her that the error could prove fatal. Her heart rate and blood pressure had dropped to an abnormally low level.

Despite this distressing incident, Ms Kelly made a full recovery at home, but found the event frightening.

The supermarket – the fourth largest in the UK – issued Ms Kelly with an apology and a cheque for £3000 by way of compensation for their negligence. They stated that their pharmacists are highly trained, with incidents like this being rare. They stated that an investigation has been carried out.