Hospital launches Medication Passports to help its patients

The passports, which have been kindly funded by the Friends of Conquest Hospital, list a person’s medicines and dosage. It can be given to health professionals to help substantially reduce the risk of any communication mix-up about an individual’s medication.

Jane Starr, medication safety officer at the East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (ESHT), said: “It can be difficult for some people to keep track of their own medication sometimes, especially if they are taking a lot of pills and when changes are made to their dosages.

“This Medication Passport helps to keep a record of someone’s medicine and is a very handy document to pass to their doctor or pharmacist.

“It will help to substantially reduce the risk of any medication communication mix-up.

“I would like to thank the Friends for their generosity in supporting this initiative.”

Sharon Grain, matron on James Ward and CCU, said: “The passports are a wonderful idea and my team are now giving them to patients on discharge who found them very handy.”

Medication Passports are available from any local pharmacy or downloadable with an App called Medication Passport by Imperial College Hospital, from the App Store on your IPhone or from http://clahrcnorthwestlondon.nihr.ac.uk/resources/mmp.

To help the Friends support initiatives like this, donations are welcome.

Cheques should be made out to the Friends of Conquest Hospital and sent to The Friends of Conquest Hospital, Conquest Hospital, The Ridge, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, TN37 7RD or via the website at www.conquestlof.org.uk where donation forms are downloadable. A donation of at least £5 entitles you to one year’s membership of the Friends.