A MOTHER today vowed to take legal action against Bolton Hospitals Trust, after her drug addict son was given an extra dose of the heroin substitute methadone by mistake.

The coroner has called for drug screening in hospitals after returning a verdict of misadventure at the inquest of the 20-year-old addict, who died in a Bolton hospital.

The inquest at Salford Coroners Court heard how Michael Stocks, of Sycamore Walk, Horwich, was given an extra dose of the heroin substitute in hospital because of a mix-up.

His mother Mrs Lillian Ramsden said she felt the verdict should have been "unlawful killing" and has vowed to take legal action.

Michael had been admitted to the psychiatric unit of the Royal Bolton Hospital in November last year after being referred by a GP when he threatened to kill himself because he was disturbed over the death of his uncle.

Hospital staff told the court they had administered two doses of methadone by mistake but did not believe they were life threatening.

They had been told by Mrs Ramsden that he had not taken any methadone that day and the facilities to screen him for the presence of drugs in his body were not available. The system of blood screening in use at the time would have taken five days for results to be made available. A quicker system is now available in hospitals, but is not entirely reliable, the court heard.

The staff told the court they did not believe the 87mls administered would be enough to kill him because he would have developed a tolerance through regular use.

But medical expert, Dr Michael France, who carried out drug tests on Michael for the post mortem said there was a higher level of the drug present in his body which would have proved fatal.

Dr France also told the court that 87mls would have been potentially fatal especially if his tolerance had been reduced.

Michael had recently been released from prison where he was on remand for five months and had no access to methadone.

Michael had been given a 50ml dose on the ward on the evening before he died, when a nurse accidentally signed the wrong column indicating the drug was given earlier than it was.

And a second nurse on the next shift gave him a further dose of 37mls less than two hours later, without checking whether an earlier dose had been given.

Coroner Martin Coppell said: "The amount he was given in hospital may well have been enough to cause his death, but the 87mls does not produce the readings found in his body. "It seems that somehow he had either taken the drug before being admitted, or he had got hold of methadone elswhere in the hospital. The latter is unlikely unless another patient had given it to him."

Mr Coppell added: "It would be a neat solution to the problem if tests can be taken and these can now be done, although the results cannot be relied upon. But they should take place."

Mrs Ramsden said later she was disappointed with the misadventure verdict and vowed to launch legal action against Bolton Hospitals Trust.

She said: "There is no way my son had been taking methadone that day. He must have got it at the hospital.

"They were all covering up for each other and I believe the verdict should have been unlawful killing.

"My solicitor is taking up the case to sue for negligence. I am determined not to let it drop."

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