While you stay with us, please bring in all your medication you have at home.
You may hear us call the medicines you bring patients own drugs (PODs). We will use your medicines while you are in hospital, after checking they are ok to use.
If you do not have your medication with you, we can ask a relative or carer to bring them for you. We will ask your permission first.
What type of medicines should I bring into hospital?
Please bring all the medicines you currently take in their original bottles/boxes. This may include:
- Tablets or capsules
- Inhalers and nebules
- Liquid medicines
- Eye and/or eardrops
- Creams or ointments
- Nasal sprays and drops
- Patches
- Injections
- Suppositories or pessaries
- Vitamins and minerals
- Contraceptive pill or Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
- Food supplements
- Any other items prescribed by your doctor
- Any item you buy from a chemist or from an herbal shop
Why we ask you to bring in your medicines
- You can continue with familiar medicines, uninterrupted.
- We can make sure any new medicines we prescribe are safe to use with those that you already take.
- It reduces wastage of medicines.
- It avoids confusion if any medicines are changed while in hospital.
What happens to my medication?
A member of the nursing or pharmacy team will check your medicines. Our staff will keep your medicines safe and give them to you when they are due. Any medicines you bring will be used for your treatment only.
Sometimes medications may be unsuitable for use, these will be disposed of following a chat with you. This could happen if:
- they are out of date
- you are no longer prescribed them
- we suspect they are illicit substances.
What happens with my medicines when I go home?
When you are discharged from the hospital, we will try to send you home with the medicines you brought in from home.
But this may not be possible if:
- you have used the supply while in hospital or
- your medications have been changed while you have been in hospital.
If this is the case, you will be given a new supply of medicines to take home.
You may find that you have a mixture of some of your own medicines and some from the hospital.
What can I do if I have any concerns?
Please feel free to speak to the nurse in charge of the ward if:
- you do not wish for your medicines to be used while on the ward
- you do not want your medicines to be disposed of, if we assess them as unsuitable
- you have any problems with your medicines.
Please note: suspected illicit substances will not be returned and will be disposed of.
L975, V3, 27/01/2023 (Archive date: 27/01/2026)
