Pharmacy

The main role of your hospital pharmacist is to promote the safe and effective use of medicines by:

• Providing medication information and advice to you
• Preparing medicines for patients in wards, Emergency Department and when attending our outpatient clinics
• Working with your healthcare team to ensure the selection of the best medicine at the correct dose for an appropriate duration
• Monitoring and management of unexpected side effects of medicines
• Providing specialist medicine therapy advice to your healthcare team
• Providing a safe link, regarding your medicines, between your hospital visit and the community
• Preparing specialised medicines such as mixtures, sterile infusions and chemotherapy preparations

When going into hospital, please bring the following with you:

• Your updated medicines list
• Your current medicines
• Your allergy history
• Your Medicare card
• Your Concession card
• Your Safety Net card
• Your local doctor’s details
• Your community pharmacy details

• Your own Medicines:There may be some circumstances where it is best to use your own medicines while in hospital, for example, eye drops, inhalers. These will still need to be checked and given by hospital staff and we will ask for your permission before we do that. When you are in hospital, do not take any medicines without the knowledge of your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
• Changes to medicines: The hospital doctor may need to change some of the medicines you were taking previously and may prescribe some new medicines. The hospital doctor and pharmacist will be available to discuss these changes with you.
• Medicine Brands: There are many different brands of the same medicine. Normally in hospitals, only one brand of each medicine is kept. So the medicine you receive in hospital may look different because it is a different brand. If you have any queries, please ask your hospital pharmacist, doctor or nurse.

A staff member will discuss with you the medicines you should take upon leaving the hospital. Where appropriate, they will also ensure any medicines you came into hospital with are returned to you.

The hospital pharmacy may provide the following for you:

• Discharge medicines: Medicines may be prepared by the hospital pharmacy, or you may be provided with a prescription which can be filled by your community pharmacy. We may also contact your nursing home or community pharmacy directly to organise for your medicines to be prepared, when applicable.
• Patient Friendly Medicines List: This will include all the medicines you should be taking after leaving the hospital and information about any changes to your medicines. Show this list to your local doctor and pharmacist next time you visit them. Keep the list in a safe place for future references.
• Consumer Medicine Information : This is written information about medicines to help you understand your medicines better and how to take them wisely.

• Patients are charged for prescriptions dispensed at an Eastern Health Pharmacy. This may vary from what is charged at your community pharmacy. The amount you pay, even for non-PBS medicines can contribute to your Safety Net threshold for the calendar year. Please ask your hospital pharmacist or Medicare for more information.
• An invoice will be given for medicines which have been dispensed by the hospital pharmacy in the bag with your medicines. Payment of the invoice can be made at the cashier  if you leave the hospital on weekdays or as instructed on your invoice if you leave outside office hours.

• Each health professional that you visit should have the most recent information about your medicines. This includes your local doctor and regular pharmacist, as well as any other relevant health care providers that you may see, such as your specialists, dentist or naturopath.
• Managing medicines can sometimes be difficult. To assist with this, your community pharmacist can put your medicines into weekly boxes for you or send you reminders when your prescriptions are due for refill. Speak to your community pharmacist about these services.

• There are a few medicines which can only be obtained through a hospital pharmacy. When you attend your outpatient appointment and if unsure where to obtain your medicine(s) from, we recommend that you discuss with your treating doctor whether it is best to obtain from the hospital pharmacy or your local community pharmacy. Alternatively, you may present your new prescription to the hospital pharmacy if you have further questions about supply of medicine(s).
• If you wish to have your prescription filled at another Eastern Health Pharmacy, please contact the Pharmacy in advance as each Eastern Health Pharmacy stocks a different range of medicines.