Elderly woman dies after Boots prescribed her pills meant for patient with similar name

Margaret Forrest was mistakenly given tablets meant for Florence Frost by a Boots pharmacy

The court heard the Crown did not intend to prosecute pharmacy's manager or its staff (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

An 86-year-old woman died after being given medication meant for a patient with a similar surname, a court has heard.

Margaret Forrest was mistakenly given tablets meant for Florence Frost by a Boots pharmacy, the BBC reports.

Ms Forrest was found unconscious by her son, Billy, on 12 November 2013. She died two days later.

A fatal inquest inquiry heard Ms Forrest was mistakenly given a dispensing box containing Gliclazide, a drug used to treat diabetics.

The inquiry was told the drug induced a hypo-glycasmic brain injury, along with other complications which caused Ms Forrest's death.

When she was taken to Raigmore Hospital, in Inverness, medical staff initially thougt she was Ms Frost because paramedics had handed over the box of medication with Ms Frost's name on it.

It was only when her son's partner, Ellie, a mental health nurse who worked at the hospital, inquired about her that her true identity became apparent.

The court heard the Crown did not intend to prosecute pharmacy manager Nicola Ferguson or her staff.

Her statement was read aloud in court by Detective Sergeant Alan Ross: "I was told that Mrs Frost's medication was in Mrs Forrest's possession at Raigmore Hospital. She would have had to collect it from the pharmacy. I have no knowledge how this happened.

"I can confirm that Mrs Forrest's medication was kept next to Mrs Frost's. We keep it on shelves in alphabetical order."

However, police photos shown at the inquest were said to show not all the medication was in alphabetical order, the Daily Record reports.

The inquiry continues.