The Personal Information Pack or P.I.P. contains a dossier of these details as well as conditions or allergies the patient may suffer from. It carries the patients name, photograph and all contact details of their G.P, pharmacy and pharmacist, as well as their medications.

The P.I.P. is kept in the patients fridge as, in any emergency, a fridge is least likely to be damaged in an event such as fire.

A sticker on the door-frame informs all emergency services of its presence, and a key-ring, carried on the person performs the same function should an event occur outside the home.

A trial run of 10,000 of the products proved successful in West Cork, in an initiative which involved all emergency services, the Irish Pharmaceutical Union and with funding provided by the Irish League Of Credit Unions and Pfizer. The product was made available in pharmacies throughout the area.

Mr. Keith O'Hourihane, a pharmacist from Blarney, County Cork explains further the importance of the product. 'Should an A & E doctor need to administer a certain drug to either save a persons life or relieve their discomfort they might be slow to do so if they're not sure what medication a person is taking, or they could interact and cause a serious problem. The PIP is contained in a small blue, transparent container, costs a mere 2 euro to the patient, and when brought to a pharmacy, G.P. or A & E by the patient, carer or guardian is then updated, a vital component in its success. It is now available throughout the Republic of Ireland.

Any proceeds will be donated to Age Action Ireland; the nominated charity for 2007.

The PIP has been nominated for Community Initiative of the Year at the Chambers Awards later this week.