Pharmacy bill › Batch and expiry

Batch numbers and expiry dates at a medical store

Two short codes on every strip protect your patients and your licence. Writing them on the bill takes seconds and saves hours when something goes wrong.

Why the batch matters

When a batch is found not of standard quality, the regulator or the company recalls it. A store that wrote batch numbers on its bills can open Saved bills, search for the batch, and know exactly which patients got it and when. Without the batch on the bill, there is no way to tell.

Reading the expiry

Packs print expiry as a month and year, for example EXP 08/2027. The medicine may be sold until the end of that month. In the maker, pick the expiry month on each line; the bill shows it as 08/27.

• Expired: the maker will not save a bill with a medicine past its expiry month. Selling expired medicines is not allowed.
• Expiring within 30 days: the maker shows a warning. Tell the patient, especially for a long course.

Near-expiry stock

• Sell oldest expiry first: keep new stock behind old stock on the shelf.
• Check the shelf once a month for packs expiring in the next three months.
• Most distributors take back expiring stock on terms agreed with you; they give a credit note against your purchase. Keep a list of what you sent back with the batch numbers.
• Expired stock waiting for return or disposal should be kept apart and clearly marked "not for sale".

A repeat prescription

For a patient on regular medicine, open the last bill in Saved bills and press Repeat bill. Patient, doctor and medicines come back; the batch and expiry are cleared so you type them from the new strips.