The Pharmacy Service provides a wide range of services across our hospitals and local hospices.
Our pharmacists are dedicated to ensuring that all patients get the greatest benefit from their medication by focusing on their individual needs and outcomes.
The Pharmacy team comprises pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, Assistants, trainees, apprentices and support staff.
The Pharmacy team are experts in the use of medicines and in applying this knowledge so that we can ensure patients get the maximum benefit from their medication.
The team do this by ensuring that the latest evidence is used to select the preferred medicines to use within our organisation.
The team provide Pharmacy services to patients from the following locations:
- Bradford Royal Infirmary
- St Luke’s Hospital
- Westbourne Green Community Hospital
- Westwood Park Community Hospital
- Marie Curie Hospice, Bradford
The Pharmacy team are also responsible for the Outpatient Anticoagulant Monitoring Service, which is also operated from St Luke’s Hospital.
The pharmacy run anticoagulant clinics are provided from the Horton Wing on the St Luke’s Hospital site. The team are responsible for monitoring patients taking oral anticoagulant medications which require regular blood tests to be taken safely e.g. warfarin.
The clinic team take referrals from both hospitals and GPs and provide a service for any patient taking oral anticoagulant monitoring no matter their medical condition.
Each patient is given an individual appointment during which a pharmacy assistant will undertake a simple blood test before a pharmacist or pharmacy technician assesses the results and advises on the dose of medication to take. The pharmacist / pharmacy technician will also recommend the next appointment date based on the result obtained.
This team comprises pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who visit patients on the wards. The team will talk to patients, their carers (where appropriate) and review their prescription chart to establish:
- What medication a patient was taking before they came into hospital
- What medication the GP has prescribed for the patient, if different
- Whether they have any allergies to medication
- What medication they are currently prescribed in the hospital
- A patient’s understanding of their medication and potential side-effects.
- Review medication prescribed both before admission and during the stay to ensure it is suitable for the patient to use given their current medical condition
- Provide prescribing advice to the team looking after the patient to ensure the most effective medication is used
- Encourage the use of patients’ own medication to minimise delays in treatment
The Pharmacy service has a team which supports the numerous clinical trials the hospital partakes in each year. The Trust undertakes clinical trials to help companies develop and or refine future treatments to improve treatment options for both existing and future patients.
The Pharmacy team operate a dispensary at Bradford Royal Infirmary which provides inpatient and discharge medication.
Every item dispensed by the pharmacy is checked for clinical appropriateness before being dispensed by pharmacy dispensing assistants and pharmacy technicians. All items are finally accuracy checked by either a pharmacy technician or pharmacist before being released to patients.
A team of pharmacy staff work behind the scenes to prepare some of the more critical medications in a sterile environment. Typical medication prepared in the DSU include chemotherapy for cancer, and biological medications for conditions where the body attacks itself such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s Disease. The team are also responsible for preparing artificial feed for patient who require nutrition via an infusion.
Almost every patient attending for a day-case procedure or inpatient stay will receive one or more medications. The Medicines Safety and Governance team ensure that medication within the Trust complies with legal and regulatory guidance and is safe to use.
The team regularly audit medication use and assess any incident reports to identify medications and processes which need to be improved.
The medicines information service provides specialist advice on medication to doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.
The MI service also offers a patient helpline which patients can call to get advice on medication related issues. The team use professionally reviewed books, journals and websites to ensure advise is accurate and free from promotional bias.
The quality assurance team are a specialist group of individuals who provide monitoring of sterility and conditions in the DSU. The team also undertake product assessments to ensure they are fit for use, and share their expertise with a number of other hospital pharmacies across the north of England.
Rowlands operates two outpatients pharmacies on behalf of the trust located in the Horton Wing of St Lukes Hospital and the ENT Department at Bradford Royal Infirmary.
The pharmacies are responsible for dispensing outpatient medication prescribed by the trust clinicians. The Pharmacies also sell over-the-counter medication, staff visitors, and where prescribed by a clinician to patients.
The pharmacy staff are also available to provide healthcare advice on a range of conditions.
Unfortunately the outpatient pharmacies cannot provide medication prescribed by GPs or other hospitals.
