Pharmacy Service

Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians work on the hospital wards and as part of specialist teams like gastroenterology (also known as GI) or respiratory (for children with conditions affecting their breathing or lungs). We work closely with doctors and nurses to make sure any prescribed medicines are given correctly, the dose matches the patient’s age and weight, and if more than one medication is needed, that they are safe to take together. You are most likely to meet one of us when we check your child’s medicine chart near their bed. We may ask some questions about the medicines your child usually takes at home and if they have any allergies. Once the pharmacist has checked the prescription is correct, we make sure the medicines are available on the ward and given at the right time. We encourage you to bring any of your usual medicine in from home and will make sure they are still OK to use while you are in hospital.

If any medicines need to be taken at home, we prepare a supply that can be taken with you when you leave. Doctors will write a prescription which will be checked by one of our pharmacists before being labelled and dispensed for you to take home. Our technicians will do all of this work on the ward whenever we can. Sometimes when a product is not available, we will send an order to the RIE dispensary so that this can be prepared and sent to the ward for you, which might mean a short wait. If you have used your own medicines during your stay, we will also make sure you still have enough of these to take home as well. If you would like any extra information about your medicines, would like to talk to us about ways we can help you take your medicines, or ask any other questions, please just ask us during your stay.

If you have an outpatient appointment you may be given a prescription to take back to your own GP to arrange a supply of a medicine. You might be given a prescription by your doctor or nurse to take to the dispensary (which can be found in the RIE building). If you visit the dispensary we will check you details and any medicines before providing them to be taken home. Pharmacy staff will check whether your child has any allergies and that all doses are suitable for your child’s age and weight. You can ask any questions and discuss the medicine while you are here. Questions you could ask include:

• What dose should I give and how often?
• How do I measure it?
• Should I give the medicine before or after food?
• How long should I give the medicine for?
• Will I need further supplies and if so how will I get them?
• Does the medicine have any unwanted effects?
• Will it cause problems with my child’s other medicines?

The pharmacy dispensary can be found on the ground floor of the RIE building at the far end of the north corridor opposite OPD1 (Outpatient Department 1). Opening hours are: Monday to Friday 8:30am - 6:30pm Saturday 8:30am – 3pm Sunday 10am – 2pm The specialist children’s pharmacy team works within the RHCYP during the following times: Monday to Friday 8:45am – 5pm Saturday & Sunday 10am – 3pm There is no pharmacy department located within the RHCYP – if you would like to speak to a member of the team while you are at the hospital, please ask your child’s doctor or nurse.