Services

Eastern Health Pharmacy supports the safe and effective use of medications across the health service.

Pharmacies are located at Box Hill, Maroondah and Angliss Hospitals as well as our subacute sites Wantirna Health and Peter James Centre. In addition, pharmacy services are provided by our department to Yarra Ranges Health and Healesville Hospital and Yarra Valley Health.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Can Your Hospital Pharmacist Do For You?

What Can Your Hospital Pharmacist Do For You?

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

Going to Hospital

Going to Hospital

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

 

During Your Hospital Stay

During Your Hospital Stay

• 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.

Leaving Hospital

Leaving Hospital

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.

 

Cost of Medicines

Cost of Medicines

• 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.

 

Your Local Doctor and Pharmacist

Your Local Doctor and Pharmacist

• 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.

Outpatient Prescriptions

Outpatient Prescriptions

• 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.

Eastern Health Pharmacies

Eastern Health Pharmacies

Eastern Health Pharmacies are open for outpatient prescriptions Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays.

Hospital	Location	Phone	Hours
Angliss Hospital	Ferntree Gully	9764 6228	8:30am - 5pm
Box Hill Hospital	Box Hill	9895 3310	8:30am - 5pm
Maroondah Hospital	Ringwood East	9871 3526	8:30am - 5pm

Remember to be wise with your medicines!

Make sure you get advice from your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure about your medicines. Some common questions are:

• What is the medicine supposed to do?
• How do I take the medicine?
• How long do I keep taking it?
• Are there foods, drinks or other medicines that I should avoid?
• What if I miss a dose?
• Are there any side effects and what should I do if they occur?
• How do I best store the medicine?

Feedback

Your feedback is very important to us. Please feel free to provide your feedback about our pharmacy service or any other services you receive at Eastern Health. Feedback forms can be found on the Eastern Health website. You can also directly contact the  patient relations team on 1800-327-837. We value your feedback and we strive to learn from both the positive and negative feedback. This is how we improve our service to you.