Frequently Asked Questions

 

Can I take my hospital outpatient prescription to my community pharmacy (chemist) outside of the hospital? 
No, a community pharmacy is not able to dispense hospital outpatient prescriptions. Hospital outpatient prescriptions can only be dispensed by the pharmacy departments within the hospital. 

Can I take my hospital outpatient prescription to another Hospital Pharmacy?
No, hospital pharmacies outside of Whittington Health NHS Trust are not able to dispense a hospital outpatient prescription. Although still part of the NHS, other hospitals operate under entirely separate contracts and prescribing arrangements.

I have not got time to wait for my prescription, what can I do? 
If you cannot wait and do not need to start your medication immediately, you can drop off your prescription and return to collect your medication at a time which is more convenient for you. We can arrange to contact you by phone or text when it is ready to collect.
Please check with the pharmacist as there may be some instances where treatment with medication cannot wait until the following day and needs to be started straight away.

Do you monitor waiting times to keep them to a minimum? 
Yes, we continually monitor waiting times and patient feedback, and review this information with the Trust to amend staffing levels and improve performance. 

If Whittington Pharmacy is closed, what should I do? 
If the prescription is not urgent you should return to Whittington Pharmacy during our opening hours.
If you are concerned that your prescription is urgent, you should return to or contact the clinic which you visited and speak to a member of staff. A healthcare professional will advise if your prescription is clinically urgent and organise for you to obtain a supply of medication.

If your prescription has been marked for your GP to continue, you will be able to arrange for your GP to issue a prescription for your community Pharmacy.

Dispensing your prescription
When we receive your prescription, we will ask you some questions to confirm your identity, any additional details such as what allergies you have and if you have any special requirements. 
We will then get down to work to dispense your prescription – there are many steps to make sure that the medicines we supply are safe and effective for you.
The dispensing requires the professional and clinical review by a pharmacist. Some steps in the dispensing process can be completed by appropriately trained pharmacy assistants under direct pharmacist supervision. Our pharmacists, who are experts in medicines will screen your prescription, this includes:

  • assessing the prescribed dosage to ensure it is safe and appropriate; 

  • checking for allergies;

  • checking for any contra-indications and drug interactions

  • highlighting any special advice or instructions that are may be needed

The End to End Dispensing Process

1    ACCEPT AND CHECK PRESCRIPTION DETAILS

  • Prescriber details

  • Patient details

  • Confirm items to be dispensed

  • Any special requirements

  • Verify any allergies 

  • Check of other medication 

2   PRESCRIPTION VALIDITY

  • Meets legal requirements and is valid

  • Payment information 

3   SAFETY AND APPROPRIATENESS 

  • Safe dosage

  • Contra-indications (not appropriate with certain medical conditions)

  • Appropriateness of prescription for age, weight etc

4   REVIEW PATIENT’S DISPENSING HISTORY

  • New or changed therapy

  • Duplication

  • Interactions (drug-drug, drug-disease state, drug-herb)

  • Compliance issues (is medicine being taken as prescribed?)

  • Unusual use

  • Misuse/abuse issues (can be intentional or unintentional)

5   PATIENT-SPECIFIC FACTORS

  • age

  • allergies

  • other health conditions

  • pregnancy/lactation

6   SELECT PRODUCT

  • Appropriate drug, brand, strength, form, quantity via our dispensing robot

  • Repack if needed (non-standard quantity)

  • Prepare where needed (reconstitution of antibiotics)

7   LABEL AND ASSEMBLE DISPENSED PRODUCTS

  • Review expiry, instructions, cautionary labels

  • Conduct barcode scan check

  • Complete documentation and records

  • Organise counselling aids (e.g. written materials)

8   SUPPLY PRESCRIPTION TO PATIENT/CARER: RE-CHECK

  • Correct patient?

  • Correct medicines?

  • Unusual storage/discard requirements?

  • Patient/carer understands directions/advisories?

  • Clarify patient/carer issues

COUNSEL PATIENT/CARER ON SAFE AND APPROPRIATE USE