M-Important Information About Your Medicines When You Leave Hospital

Pharmacy department

Important information about your medicines when you leave hospital

All our publications are available in other formats When you leave hospital you will normally be given enough medicines to last you for up to 14 days. Where you have been prescribed a course of medicine you will be given enough to allow you to complete the course. You should contact your family doctor (GP) surgery as soon as possible after leaving the hospital, preferably within seven days. This is particularly important if you have been asked to hand a letter into your doctor, as this contains information about your hospital stay which your doctor may need. You should always check your medicine supply and make sure that you contact your doctor in plenty of time to arrange a repeat prescription. Do not wait until your medicines have run out. If you brought your own medicines into hospital and they were not returned to you when you left, please contact the ward or pharmacy department at the hospital you attended, preferably within 24 hours of leaving the hospital.

2 General hospital phone numbers University Hospital Ayr 01292 610555 (Switchboard and ask for Ward or Pharmacy as detailed below) Pharmacy Dispensary Extension 14111 University Hospital Crosshouse 01563 521133 (Switchboard and ask for Ward or Pharmacy as detailed below) Pharmacy Dispensary Direct dial 01563 827149 or Extension 27149 Ayrshire Central Hospital Woodland View 01294 274191 (Switchboard and ask for Ward or Pharmacy as detailed below) Pharmacy Dispensary Direct dial 01294 322379 or Extension 22379

While you were in hospital your medicines may have been changed. If you are unsure, you should check with your own doctor before you take any of the medicines you were taking previously.

3 After you are discharged from hospital your own GP or practice Pharmacist may invite you for a full Polypharmacy medicine review.

What is a Polypharmacy medicine review? Polypharmacy means that someone is taking lots of different medicines and a medicine review is a meeting with your doctor or pharmacist to talk about your medicines.

Why do medicines need to be reviewed? Medicine reviews ensure you are getting the most benefit from your medicines as various things may have changed since you first started taking the medicines for example • Your health may have changed • You may have started taking new medicines • You may have developed a side effect from your medicine • The medicine may no longer be necessary

Pharmacy Patient Helpline If, when you go home, you have any questions about your medication, please call the pharmacy patient helpline at the hospital you attended. You can ask about:

4 • Medicine changes that have taken place in hospital • How to take your medicine • Side effects • What to do if you forget a dose • If you can take alcohol while taking your medicine The helpline is open Monday to Friday between 9am and 4.30pm. Please phone pharmacy helpline. Your call will be answered by a pharmacist and will be treated in confidence. Outwith these times, if you have an urgent enquiry about your medicines please contact the switchboard to be directed to the ward you were discharged from. Please refer to General Hospital Numbers provided (see page 3).

Helpline patient telephone numbers University Hospital Ayr 01292 614506 University Hosptial Crosshouse 01563 827149 Ayrshire Central Hospital Woodland View 01294 322379 General advice on medicine Read the label carefully. It will tell you: • Who the medicine is for

5 • How much to take • When to take it • If there are any special instructions You should continue taking your medicines unless otherwise instructed by your doctor. You should follow any other instructions carefully. For example if you are told to take your medicine before food, this means 30 minutes to an hour before a meal or on an empty stomach. After food means after a meal. • Tablets and capsules can stick in your throat. It is best to take them with a glass of water while standing or sitting. • Capsules should be swallowed whole unless you are told specifically to open them up. • If the medicine is a liquid, use the 5ml spoon, oral syringe or measure provided to measure the correct amount.

Some medicines have special instructions which should be followed, such as:

Avoid alcohol Alcohol can affect the way your medicine works. Do not drive or operate machinery The medicine may make you sleepy or dizzy.

6 Complete the course This is normally for antibiotics and means that you should finish all the medicine even if you begin to feel better. If you do not finish all the medicine, the germs may not be killed and the infection may return. Remember Although the medicine you have been prescribed should help you, it may harm someone else. Do not share your medicine with anyone else, especially children. Medicines can be very dangerous if taken by children. Where suitable, medicines will be supplied in child resistant containers. However these are not always childproof and medicines must be kept out of the reach and sight of children - if possible lock them away. Further information is available in the patient information leaflet given to you with your medicine. If you have any complaints or suggestions about the pharmacy service, please write to: Director of Pharmacy, NHS Ayrshire & Arran Eglinton House Ailsa Campus Ayr KA6 6AB Telephone No. 01292 513832

7 All of our publications are available in different languages, larger print, braille (English only), audio tape or another format of your choice.

Tha gach sgrìobhainn againn rim faotainn ann an diofar chànanan, clò nas motha, Braille (Beurla a-mhàin), teip claistinn no riochd eile a tha sibh airson a thaghadh.

0800 169 1441 Tell us what you think... If you would like to comment on any issues raised by this document, please complete this form and return it to: Communications Department, 28 Lister Street, University Hospital Crosshouse, Crosshouse KA2 0BB. You can also email us at: [email protected]. If you provide your contact details, we will acknowledge your comments and pass them to the appropriate departments for a response. Name ______Address ______Comment ______

Date of last review: October 2016 Leaflet reference: MIS11-072-GD WHITE PAPER PIL code: PIL16-0193