Medicine green bags

The Welsh Ambulance Service is taking part in the Green Bag scheme to encourage people to keep all their prescription medication readily to hand in one place.
The nationally recognised scheme provides a special vivid green bag for patients to put their medication in, so whether they are going in to hospital for a planned procedure or are going in unexpectedly they can take all their own tablets, medicines, ointments and inhalers with them.

All ambulance crews have green bags with them, which they give to patients who are going to hospital. The green bags are also available from hospital pharmacies.
Andrew Jenkins, the Welsh Ambulance Service's Consultant Paramedic, said: "The aim is to create awareness of the green bags, so that patients who are already on regular medication remember to bring it with them when they go into hospital. It is extremely important that patients take their own medicines into hospital, it enables doctors to know exactly what medicines they are taking and the patient will continue to receive the correct dose at the right time. Keeping everything together in one place makes it easier for both the patients, ambulance crews and hospital staff."
To try to make sure that as many patients as possible are aware of the scheme the Welsh Ambulance Services website www.ambulance.wales.nhs.uk features information about the green bag scheme in 12 different languages.