Superdrug staff refused to give free Lucozade to diabetic suffering seizure

A Bangor woman had told of her disgust at a shop that refused to give her husband a fizzy drink while he suffered a diabetic seizure that could have put him in a coma, or even killed him, because she did not have enough money. The staff at Superdrug did offer to call an ambulance, but Carol Anne Lewis said all her husband needed was a £1.35 sugary drink. She was shocked when Superdrug staff refused to give her a bottle of Lucozade that would help David, 63, out of a hypoglycemic seizure that he was suffering at a bus station across the road on Friday.

“I’m disgusted after the way my husband suffered. If you see someone in that situation, you help them,” she said. David showed signs of a seizure as he stepped off a bus across the road from Superdrug, while on the way to the Hafan cafe. “He was confused, sweating badly and his left hand started jerking like he was getting a fit,” she said. Carol Anne left David with a friend and rushed across the road to Superdrug, pleaded with staff for a Lucozade to help increase David‘s blood sugar level.



“I said I pay them the next Tuesday, but they said they couldn’t do that,” she said. She headed to the cafe, where a staff member gave her £1.20, but Superdrug staff insisted that Carol Anne pay £1.35. However, a customer gave Carol Anne enough change to buy the drink. David had managed to reach the cafe by himself, where staff gave him some milk. His blood sugar level had dropped dangerously low, and it took around 30 minutes for David to start to come round after he drank the Lucozade.

A Superdrug spokesperson said: "When our store was alerted to an incident which occurred near to our Bangor store last Friday, the team immediately offered to call an ambulance in order to offer medical attention. The safety and well being of our colleagues and customers is our primary concern and our store teams will always endeavour to offer the appropriate assistance." However, Carol Anne added: “Why call an ambulance when you can treat it with a bottle of Lucozade for £1.35? It costs a lot more money to send out an ambulance.”