The pharmacy departments at Hampshire Hospitals Foundation Trust provide patients with medicines that are safe, appropriate, evidence-based and cost-effective.
In order to achieve this, we provide several services: A clinical pharmacy service, dispensing of medications, medicines information, technical services and clinical trials.
We have a pharmacy in Winchester at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital and in Basingstoke at the Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital. There is also a pharmacy office at Andover War Memorial Hospital. We have pharmacists, technicians and pharmacy assistants employed by the Trust who all contribute to provide patients with the best care possible.
This involves pharmacists and technicians visiting the wards and seeing patients every day. They take a medication history, making sure that all medication prescribed is appropriate and safe for you to use.
They are specially trained and look out for adverse effects of medicines and any potential interactions between drugs. They will be available to provide any assistance and answer any questions about your medicines.
Please bring in your medication with you when you are admitted to hospital if possible. This includes any inhalers, eye drops, herbal medicines and patches.
It will be checked by a pharmacy technician, stored in a secure bedside locker and administered as usual, to ensure you continue on the same treatment plan and that you receive appropriate quantities of you medication on discharge.
We supply medicines for inpatient services and outpatient services for the whole hospital. A pharmacist checks each prescription for appropriateness before it is dispensed, referring to the doctor or nurse if necessary.
For outpatients, we dispense medications and counsel patients on their medications, increasing their understanding and empowering them to take control of their treatment/condition. In many cases the hospital doctor will recommend to your GP what treatment you should have, rather than start it at the clinic. However, if you need medication urgently, or require a medication that cannot be prescribed by a GP, then you may receive a hospital prescription for the pharmacy to dispense.
For inpatients, we dispense medications for your stay in hospital and when you are discharged. We make sure you have at least two weeks supply of your regular medication so that you have time to see your GP after being discharged for further supplies and follow-up.
Medicines information is a centre where expert advice on medicines is given to other health care professionals (including doctors, nurses, GPs and community pharmacists). We have access to a wide range of resources, both electronically and via specialist text books.
If you want to know more about your own medicines, first look at the patient information leaflet (PIL) that is usually provided in the medication pack. Copies of most PILs can be found at: www.emc.medicines.org.uk.
Alternatively, ask one of our hospital pharmacy team, or your local pharmacist. If the medication has been provided from Andover, Basingstoke or Winchester Hospitals please call our Medicines Information Helpline on 01962 824780. This line is available 09:00am – 16.00pm Monday to Friday, but a message can be left on our answer phone outside of these times.
The Technical Services department prepares chemotherapy, intravenous nutrition, infusions and antibiotics for home administration under aseptic conditions.
These have to be made in a special environment, to exclude any micro-organisms or contaminants from the production process and it allows these products to be made and stored for up to a week prior to use.
When patients are too unwell to eat, we prepare liquid nutrition preparations for them which the patient receives through their intravenous lines.
Research is an important part of medical care, so we have a clinical trials pharmacist who helps regulate the trials that are undertaken at the hospital.
Trials have strict protocols and require specialist stock, and it is the pharmacist’s duty to checks that the protocols and stock are correctly utilised.
