Whether your medical cabinet contains plasters and painkillers or prescribed medication taken by your workforce, it’s vital to ensure that you store it correctly. Most medicines should be stored in a cool, dry place.
Where is the Best Place to Store Medicines?
Medicines are best stored at a constant temperature, so are best kept out of cars and off windowsills where they can be exposed to changes in temperature. Warm and humid environments cause drugs to breakdown. This is especially the case with capsules and tablets which can become less potent and break down into their component parts, which can irritate the lining of the stomach.
If you need to keep medicine or first aid supplies in the back of a vehicle, you should always store them in an enclosed container. Medical steel cabinets are ideal as they keep medicine at a constant cool temperature as well as protecting it from theft. Prescription drugs can be attractive to thieves and should be kept out of sight. Keep all medicines away from children and animals to prevent accidental poisoning.
Medical Steel Cabinets can be
made with a durable, hygienic epoxy coating and are even available with an antibacterial coating in order to minimise the risk of cross infection.
How Do I Know if Medicine is Still OK To Take?
You should never take any medicine that has changed in colour, has a different consistency or an unusual smell. Throw away any tablets that stick together or are chipped, cracked, or are harder or softer than they usually are. You should regularly check your medicine cabinet for anything that is no longer required, despite the expiry date and dispose of it safely by handing it to a pharmacist. Some pharmacies will collect it for you. Anything that has passed the expiry date is no longer safe to use. Never flush medicine away down the toilet or sink as this can cause an environmental hazard and pollute the water supply. In rare cases, medicine that has been incorrectly stored can actually become toxic and pose a danger to health.
Keep all medicines in the original packaging, as this is the best way to make sure you know what the correct dosage is and an easy way for a third party to tell what medicine you have been taking. Check the expiration date every time you use a medicine, and replace anything that is out of date.
Create a Medicines List
Keep a list of your medicines and store it safely in a medical steel cabinet, along with your medicines. This is a good way to keep track of your supplies, and the list should be updated every time you use anything so that you know what is in your cabinet as well as when it will expire. Make sure that anyone else who is authorised to dispense medicines from the cabinet is competent. Finally, choose a medical steel cabinet that meets Home Office Standards and is independently tested to the
British Standard (BS 2881:1989 Security Level 1).
