Personal Medication

Please bring all your medicines with you when you come into hospital. This gives the hospital staff looking after you a complete record of the medicines you are taking. It will make sure you do not miss any doses and prevents any confusion between medicines supplied in hospital and those left at home.

What exactly do I need to bring in?

• Bring in all the medicines you take including tablets, liquids, creams, eye drops, inhalers, patches and any medicines that you have bought from a chemist, supermarket or health food store.
• If you are due to collect a repeat prescription supply before you come to hospital, do this as usual and bring the medicines with you.
• Bring your medicines in their original packs, with the chemists' label on them.
• Do not bring in loose strips of medicines or medicines that have been transferred into another container.
• If you use a tablet organiser / box, bring it in to hospital with you. Let your hospital pharmacist know who normally fills the box for you.
• If your GP surgery can give you a list of your current medicines from the computer, this is also helpful.

Where will my medicines be kept?

Your medicines will be stored in a locker next to your bed. The nurses will give them to you when you need them and will return them to you when you go home.

What happens if I start a new medicine?

The hospital pharmacist will supply any new medicines prescribed for you, labelled with the correct instructions. Inside there will be a patient information leaflet that you should read and keep for your information.

What happens if my medicines change?

The hospital pharmacist can remove any medicines that have been stopped and destroy them, with your consent. If a dose of any medicine has changed the pharmacist will supply a new pack or will re-label your own pack with the new instructions.

What happens when I leave hospital?

The hospital pharmacist or nurse will make sure you have enough medicine to last for at least 14 days after you go home. You should take the letter for your GP to your surgery as soon as possible. This will make sure that you can arrange for more supplies when you need them. 

It may also be helpful to let your local pharmacist know you have been in hospital. If you show them your copy of the letter they can check any changes in medicines and make sure your prescriptions are updated.

If you are taking any medicines it is important that you bring all of them to the hospital with you.  Please give any medication to the nurse on your admission to hospital.  Any medicines you still need will be returned to you when you go home.