The Patient Medicine Bag

Mary Green the innovator was seconded into Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust to manage the Hospital Medicines Management Collaborative (HMMC) programme. The innovation is a simple yet durable, sealable bag produced specifically for patients to keep all their medications in – both prescribed and ‘over the counter’ ready for interaction with healthcare professionals.  

The Patient Medicine Bag (PMB) clearly demonstrates how a concept, created by a Medicines Management Collaborative (HMMC) programme of work, and developed in conjunction with NHS Innovations East Midlands became a tremendous success for Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust. It is an example where the combination of a development of a product item and its diffusion of this item into the patient pathway can combine to deliver significant patient benefits at a very small direct cost.

The PMB combines with a series of laminated instructions for ambulance staff and ward staff to encourage patients to take their current medications with them if they are to be admitted to hospital.  The bag itself was designed to provide patients with instructions on how to deal with their medications prior to admission and also when they are discharged.  The laminates for staff provide guidance on what to do when presented with a PMB and how to manage patient admissions and discharges.

Having the patients medications physically with them means that staff can correctly identify drug type and dose and also means that patients can be discharged without the need for additional prescriptions from the hospital pharmacy. 

NHS Innovations East Midlands identified a manufacturer and facilitated the diffusion and adoption of the PMB into patient pathways across Trusts in England; overall the PMB project has produced:

• Cost saving for the Trust. The financial savings are indicative of £7.40 per patient in reduced repeat dispensing, but the real savings are in time and lives.
• Reduced delays in discharges due to TTO (To Take Out prescriptions)
• Increased the number of complete and recorded drug histories
• Increased communication of medication changes to GPs on discharge

• Increased communication of medication changes to patients on discharge
• Reduced drug related errors
• Reduced turnaround time of work through the dispensary
• Positive feedback from ambulance staff and patients, particularly those with long term conditions e.g. cardiac patients also.

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