Gosport dad's anger as baby given out-of-date medicine

Pete Rigden is furious after Queen Alexandra Hospital's pharmacy gave out-of-date Gaviscon Infant for his son Charlie

Picture: Sarah Standing (161704-9260) — Pete Rigden is furious after Queen Alexandra Hospital's pharmacy gave out-of-date Gaviscon Infant for his son Charlie Picture: Sarah Standing (161704-9260)

A DAD has told of his anger after medication prescribed to his baby son was four months out of date.

Pete Rigden took his five-month-old Charlie to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, after he fell ill with a viral rash, bronchitis and hypotonia – a muscle problem.

After diagnosing Charlie, Mr Rigden and the youngster’s mum Tina Largan were given a prescription by a nurse.

They took the prescription to the on-site pharmacy and were given Gaviscon Infant.

But two weeks later when Mr Rigden, from Gosport, went to renew the prescription he realised the medicine went out of date on August 1, 2016.

He had already given Charlie 26 sachets, as advised by the nurse.

Mr Rigden said: ‘We were so angry. If it had been serious medication Charlie could have been really ill.

‘I have no idea how they allowed this to happen when the prescription was checked by the pharmacist.

‘When I rang the doctor to re-ew the prescription and realised the date, he said under no circumstances should Charlie have taken it.

‘We didn’t think to check the date because that’s the pharmacist’s job.