A pharmacist has been given the go-ahead to continue in practice after authorities heard he was responsible for dispensing errors while suffering from grief.

Alan Bickerton’s fitness to practise was not impaired by the errors, a Royal Pharmaceutical Society conduct tribunal found.

Mr Bickerton of Wishaw, Lanarkshire, was suffering a delayed reaction to the death of his wife and mother in the nine-month period when the errors were made.

Judge John Samuel said there was no reason to doubt either Mr Bickerton’s integrity or professionalism as a pharmacist.

The pharmacist supplied medicine with the wrong instructions while working at Wishaw General Hospital for periods between January 2005 and October 2005, the panel heard.

In one case, midodrine was indicated to be taken once a day when it should have been taken twice, the hearing was told.

On another, clopidogrel was indicated to be taken during the evening when the prescription advised that the tablet should have been taken in the morning.

Mr Bickerton also admitted allegations which showed that one patient received a prescription telling them to take one tablet three times a day. But, when the medicine was dispensed it indicated on the bottle that he should take two tablets three times a day.

The errors were unlikely to cause serious harm, Judge Samuel ruled.

Judge Samuel said he was “impressed” with the candour Mr Bickerton had expressed in his evidence and praised him for being a conscientious and reliable witness.

Mr Bickerton, who is now on the non-practising register, must keep up to date with professional guidelines before taking up active practice. He was advised to take a return to practice course before working in community pharmacy.