Team of the week - the Pharmacy Team | News

Tomorrow marks World Pharmacists Day and to celebrate the wonderful work that our pharmacy staff do for patients on a daily basis, they are our Team of the Week!

Here at Royal Surrey, we have two separate pharmacy teams. Our inpatient pharmacists supply and advise on medicines on the wards, and our outpatients pharmacists supply and advise on medicines for patients at home.

This year, the theme for World Pharmacists Day is ‘Pharmacists: Meeting Global Health Needs,’ which underscores the contribution of pharmacists worldwide to enhance health and improve global health outcomes.

Pharmacists ensure access to essential medicines and their optimal use, but they also use their expertise to contribute significantly to patient care and public health worldwide.

Within inpatients, there are 65 pharmacists and six trainee pharmacists on inpatient wards, clinics, dispensary, medication safety, education and development, oncology, clinical trials, aseptics and transformation. Last year there were 338,735 items issued from the pharmacy, which includes stock and prescribed items. 

Sharmini Balashanker, Principal Pharmacist in Education and Development, said: “Our hospital pharmacists review complex medication regimes, review and advise on dosage adjustments for specific patients, advise on the most appropriate route for administration, and monitor and advise on drug interactions and adverse effects. We participate in research and development of new medicines, lead in promoting medication safety, including making sure that antimicrobials are used only when needed, and even help implement greener ways of working.

“We are a friendly and close knit team, who work hard and go above and beyond, often under challenging circumstances, to make the care of the person our first priority.”

The outpatient pharmacies are run by PharmCo, a subsidiary outpatient pharmacy. There are two dispensaries at the hospital, and one non-dispensing ‘drive-by pharmacy’ hub for patients to collect their medicines and get advice. There are 36 people working across three sites at the hospital who are a mixture of pharmacists, technicians, dispensers and assistants, supported by a team of delivery drivers and finance and procurement.

James Andrews, Superintendent Pharmacist, said: “Each of the outpatient pharmacy sites are really different, but our core tasks are to clinically screen prescriptions to ensure they are safe and meet local formulary requirements. We help patients with their queries and keep them informed through the dispensing process, dispense complicated and high-risk medicines accurately, and counsel patients on the medicines they’ve been given.”  

The team also runs a medicines home delivery service for patients who are unable to get to the hospital after a virtual appointment. On average, it provides medicines to more than 400 patients each day.

James added: "I’m very proud of everyone in our team. We are getting busier every year – the main outpatient pharmacy provided nearly 20 per cent more medicines last year than the year before and the team continues to take that in its stride, adapting to changes and seeking out new ways of doing things to maintain a safe and effective service.”

Well done to all our wonderful pharmacists!