Patient information leaflets (PILs)

[helvella]

We keep seeing members who did not get the PIL with a medicine.

This is absolutely and completely WRONG

The government website really cannot get any clearer than this:

Patient information leaflets (PILs)

Unless all the information is on the pack, all medicines must include a PIL, regardless of how patients get them.

gov.uk/guidance/medicines-p...

To add:

The PIL must be for the product you receive:

Not a different make of the same thing.

Not a different dosage of the same medicine.

It is the pharmacist's duty to source the right PIL. (Most often, they could do so online and print it out. But how they do it is not your problem.)

If you do NOT get the PIL, please ASK.

[Star13]

I regularly get them in the wrong language!

[helvella Administrator in reply to Star13]

Which is as bad as not getting them!

There appears to be some level of exception for special imports but I have not tracked down the details. I thought that most should have an official translation available.

[Star13 in reply to helvella]

My TH always comes in German.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Star13]

There is an official translation of that. I know I have a copy - but it is years old, so I wouldn't trust it.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Star13]

The translation I have is not as old as I thought - from 2017.

I have made it available on this link:

dropbox.com/s/1i04tvbw4k5d2...

[shaws Administrator]

Thanks for the reminder about PILS as I thinkI I may not have had it when collecting a medication. I will check next time I collect anything from pharmacist.

[helvella Administrator in reply to shaws]

And we need them EVERY time.

Unless we are obsessive about them, we would have no idea that potentially important changes have been made since the last time we got that medicine.

[jimh111]

Thanks, useful to know. I can understand pharmacists having to split packs or take tablets out of bubble packs for people. It would be an idea to ask for the batch number also when collecting loose tablets. I don't know if there are any rules around this.

[helvella Administrator in reply to jimh111]

I'd like to see text boxes on PILs for batch number and expiry date to be entered, if dispensed other than in original packaging.

Pharmacist would grab the PIL (from internet?), write in batch number and expiry, sign and date. Indeed, it would be pretty easy to link a scanner (such as they already use for stock control and management) and collect those details almost automatically. Let's go a step further, they scan the original packaging - their system goes off and finds a PIL and inserts details then prints PIL complete with details - pharmacist name already known as they logged in to be able to do anything.

We are on a roll! Allow customer to request any language - system will see if a PIL is available in that language...

[nightingale-56 in reply to helvella]

As my Son receives all his medication in a dosette box, it is very frequent for PILS not to be included. If anything goes wrong I have no information to give. Will mention this information to Pharmacist.

[helvella Administrator in reply to nightingale-56]

That is where, I think, this clause is of the utmost import:

regardless of how patients get them

[nightingale-56 in reply to helvella]

It most certainly is helvella . Thank you for bringing this important information to mind.

[crimple]

Hi helvella, I recall a previous conversation about PIL's and also about inspection of Pharmacies which includes checking that PILs are supplied. The pharmacy that supplies my levo(which comes in the original boxes) also supplies Lio that just comes in a brown bottle with the manufacturers name and pill dosage but no PIL

I asked for a PIL and received one before xmas but nothing with my latest scrip.

So we need to hold pharmacies to account and the inspection system needs to get back on track (my pharmacy hadn't been inspected) Can't remember how I was able to check the inspection of pharmacies. Perhaps that was something you posted helvella.

The comment about not having a batch number has brought home to me that I need to be more proactive in getting the correct information from my Pharmacy.

thanks for all that you do for this group

[helvella Administrator in reply to crimple]

It rings a bell - but I have a feeling it was someone else who posted.

[helvella Administrator in reply to helvella]

Have tried searching - still not found.

Patient information leaflets (PILs)

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Pharmacist transferring tablets into childproof bottles

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

AND

Pharmacy inspections

Inspection reports and learning from inspections

inspections.pharmacyregulat...

[crimple in reply to helvella]

helvella, thanks for this info. I have printed off the front page so I can keep it with my repeat scrip. So far only one pharmacy in Richmond on Thames has been checked, not the one I use!