Pharmacist

There is a palliative care pharmacist available five days per week who works with the Macmillan Specialist Palliative Care Team to ensure the medications prescribed are done so in a safe and appropriate way for each individual patient.

Their role includes determining the drug history on admission, preparing medications and prescriptions for discharge, liaising with the GP and/or community pharmacist to ensure continuity of care, counselling patients and/or their carers on medications, answering all medicine related queries from medical, nursing and other healthcare staff, and reviewing all prescriptions to make sure they are suitable for each individual patient (e.g. checking for drug interactions, changing the dose if kidney or liver function is impaired, using liquids, changing dosage regimens to suit patient needs etc.).