Clinical Pharmacy Services

The prominent clinical pharmacy presence on our hospital wards is essential for maintaining high standards of medical care and ensuring that all patients receive appropriate, safe and cost-effective treatment.

Our Clinical Pharmacy Service operates at ward level across all areas of the hospital and is provided by clinical pharmacists and medicines management technicians. The clinical team also provides information to the medical and nursing staff on the wards and offers recommendations and guidance on medication issues to promote the safe and effective use of medicines within the Trust. We visit each ward daily and carry out the following activities:

• Medicines reconciliation and medicines history taking
• Reviewing drug charts for appropriateness, effectiveness and drug interactions
• Patient counselling on newly prescribed medication on the ward
• Monitoring of side effects
• Ordering medication for patients during their hospital stay and preparation of medication for discharge

Our Chief Pharmacist is Nicola Berns.

Email: Nicola.berns@qehkl.nhs.uk

Dispensary Services                               

Our dispensary is staffed by a qualified team of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and dispensary assistants.  The team works together to provide a high quality dispensing facility for patients that are being treated in hospital and in a number of our out-patients clinics. Medicines that are urgently required, and those that will be difficult to obtain via the GP, will be supplied from the hospital pharmacy following an outpatient appointment. Routine and non-urgent medication should be obtained from a community pharmacy using a prescription written by the GP.

We dispense, on average, 15000 Items per month. Our opening hours are:

• Monday to Friday from 9.00am to 18.30pm
• Saturday from 09:00am to 17:00pm
• Sunday from 09.00am to 17.00pm

Our counselling service is provided by the specially trained dispensary staff to out-patients and their relatives who are collecting medication from the Pharmacy and includes a detailed explanation of the medication, directions for use, possible side-effects and advice about how to obtain future supplies.

Email: Anita.franklin@qehkl.nhs.uk 

Distribution and procurement

Our pharmacy technicians and assistants visit the wards and departments on a scheduled basis and co-ordinate the ordering and supply of stock pharmaceutical items to all wards and departments.

Aseptic Service

Our Aseptic Unit was built in 2010-2011 in accordance with requirements laid out of the latest legislation. It consists of three sections: the cytotoxic unit making medicines for treatment of cancer or immune disorders; dispensing of radiopharmaceuticals for diagnostic and treatment purposes; total parenteral nutrition (TPN) unit making intravenous feeds for adults, children and neonates. The unit also makes monoclonal antibody preparations for treatment purposes.

Our Aseptic service is managed by Mike Jillings.

Email: Mike.jillings@qehkl.nhs.uk

Medicines Information Service

The Medicines Information (MI) Service is integrated with the pharmacy department at the hospital. The MI service is part of the UK Medicines Information (UKMi) network.

It is accessible to healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, dieticians etc) and patients with queries about their medication.

The service provides evidence-based information and advice to ensure safe, appropriate and optimised use of medicines.

Contact us

• Email at medicines.information@qehkl.nhs.uk 

Trust Formulary

The Formulary is a list of medicines stocked by Pharmacy which have been approved by the Drugs and Therapeutics Committee for prescribing within the Hospital. Find out more by visiting our Trust Formulary page.