NCAHS Pharmacy
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Pharmacy services are available at all the larger hospitals in the North Coast Area Health Service.
The Pharmacy service offers a comprehensive procurement and distribution system for medicines, as well as specific services to promote their safe use and best possible patient outcomes, while ensuring legal and professional standards are met.
The services provided include:
- The purchase and supply of medicines for patients in the hospital
- Answer questions and provide drug information to staff and patients
- Review patients’ medicines, and work with doctors and nurses to maximise the benefits and safety of medicines patients are receiving
- Give talks to patients groups about the best use of medicines
- Provide patients with written information regarding their medicines, to encourage good communication with their community doctors and pharmacists, and to help improve compliance with their treatment
- Dispense medicines for outpatients, where the drugs are only available through hospitals
- Provide guidelines for medication use in the hospital
- Prepare special formulations of medicines when these are not commercially available
- Monitor and report side effects caused by medicines
- Provide information about possible interactions with other medicines or food
The services may vary between different hospitals, but their aim is to promote the Quality Use of Medicines in the hospital, and the best outcomes for the patients of the hospital.
You can ask the staff at your local hospital about the pharmacy services available at that hospital.