By Nick Triggle Health reporter, BBC News The watchdog is writing to all the hospitals in England and Wales Too many patients are not getting the medicines they need in hospital, a safety watchdog says.The National Patient Safety Agency warned it was a problem in every hospital in England and Wales and is now writing to them urging action. The watchdog said it had evidence of thousands of cases of patients getting their drugs late or not at all, including 27 resulting in deaths. The government said patient safety was its top priority. From September 2006 to June 2009, the NPSA received reports of 27 deaths, 68 cases of severe harm, including permanent disability, as well as another 21,000 less serious cases where drugs had not been given or had been given too late. 'Underestimate'But as the NPSA relies on voluntary reporting of problems, it acknowledges the figures will be an underestimate. In fact, the alert which is being sent out by the watchdog cites research published last year that suggested nearly a fifth of patients in hospital may not be getting their medicines.[Read more...]