Pharmacy Services - Medicines Management

About the service

The Medicines Management team provide reliable, easy to access information on medicines and their safe use within the Trust.

What we do

The Pharmacy team consists of Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, Pharmacy Assistants, Administrators and a number of other specialised roles. We work to ensure medicines are supplied in a safe and timely way. Our roles operate alongside other clinical staff to provide medicines related advice, both on inpatient wards and to a variety of other teams and services. The team disseminate medicines safety related alerts and guidance ensuring safe high quality prescribing practice within the Trust.

We have two in-house pharmacies, one at St Mary's Community Health Campus in Portsmouth and one at Lymington New Forest Hospital. Our pharmacies supply stock and dispense individual patient supplies within our Trust.

We work closely with University Hospitals Southampton, Portsmouth Hospitals, Hampshire Hospitals and St Marys Hospital Isle of Wight to ensure the efficient supply of medication to our units. We also liaise closely with colleagues in the local ICB as well as community pharmacies, ensuring smooth transfer and discharge of patients.

Our prescribing choices are guided by NICE recommendations and other national guidance, as well as local prescribing formularies and guidance.

The Trust has a comprehensive set of PGDs which are produced in liaison with the Medicines Management Team and used by nursing and therapy staff with extended roles. The team also provides support for the Non-Medical Prescribers within the trust and provides medicines training to all clinical staff.

Inpatient units receive a patient focussed pharmacy service, with patients being assessed for their ability to manage their medicines at home where applicable. Where appropriate, adjustments are made to enable patients to be as independent as possible with their treatment. Patients are encouraged to use the medication and choice website, particularly on the mental health units.

Accessing the service

We are a Medicines Management Team and work alongside other healthcare Professionals to assist in-patients who are having difficulty managing their medicines, answer clinical queries from staff working within our Trust or one of our partner agencies, face to face, by phone or by email.