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Dispensing medicines and providing information to patients.
- Address: Maidstone Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital,
What we do
We provides services to the trust and our patients including:
- Inpatient and outpatient dispensing
- Ward pharmacy services
- Medicines information
- Specialist oncology (cancer) pharmacy services
- Aseptic preparation
- Purchasing and distribution of medicines
Pharmacy services are provided at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, Maidstone Hospital and the Kent Oncology Centre at Maidstone Hospital.
Get in touch
Maidstone Hospital Pharmacy
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 9am to 5pm
- Wednesday: 9.15am to 5pm
- Saturday: 9am to 3.30pm
- Sunday: 10am - 3.30pm
Tel: (01622) 224313
Kent Oncology Centre Pharmacy (Maidstone Hospital)
- Monday to Friday: 8.30am to 5pm
Tel: (01622) 225022
Tunbridge Wells Hospital Pharmacy
- Monday to Friday: 9am to 5.30pm
Tel: (01892) 633281
The pharmacy at Tunbridge Wells Hospital is open at the weekend for inpatient service and collection of prescriptions owing only (Saturdays 9am to 4pm and Sundays 10am to 4pm).
Medicines helpline
If you have any questions about medicines prescribed for you at one of our hospitals, such as how you should take tablets, or if you can take other medicines at the same time, call the medicines helpline on 01892 634216, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
When you call you will be asked to give your name and telephone number and tell us which hospital you were treated at.
It is helpful if you have your medicines and the copy of your prescription (if you have it) to hand when you call.
We can only answer your questions about medicines prescribed for you at Tunbridge Wells Hospital and Maidstone Hospital. We cannot answer questions about medicines from your own doctor, or about your illness in general.
The helpline will be answered by a member of the team. It will usually be possible to speak to a pharmacist straight away but at very busy times, we may need to give details of your enquiry to a trained assistant who will arrange for a pharmacist to call you back.
If your medicines were changed while you were in hospital please return any medicines you no longer need to your local pharmacy for safe disposal.
Pharmacy prescription delivery service with Amal
We are running a pharmacy prescription delivery pilot at Maidstone Hospital for some of our services. This is designed to make getting your prescriptions quicker and more convenient.
- After your appointment, your prescription will be processed and delivered directly to your home or point of care within 24 hours - no need to wait at the hospital pharmacy.
- Medications will be checked by a pharmacist and sent out twice a day, ensuring quick delivery.
This pilot is only available to certain services – your doctor will tell you if your service is included. Your prescription process will stay the same if you attend other clinics.
If you have any problems with the dispensing or delivery of your medication, contact Amal Pharmacy on 020 3727 3111.
Our team
- Clinical Director of Pharmacy & Medicines Optimisation – Mildred Johnson
- Deputy Chief Pharmacist and Head of Pharmacy, Maidstone Hospital - Emmanuel Idowu
- Deputy Chief Pharmacist and Head of Pharmacy, Tunbridge Wells Hospital - Jonathan Bailey
- Head of Pharmacy, Cancer and Technical Services - Dhalvir Midda
- Medicines Information: Senior Pharmacist – Pauline Taylor
- Procurement Chief Technician – Steve Gaskin
- Education and Training – Clare Williams
- Formulary – Amanda Le Page
There are over 100 staff employed by the department, working in four locations.
Pharmacists
It takes five years to qualify as a pharmacist (a 4 year degree course followed by 1 year of pre-registration training) All pharmacists, from a newly qualified junior to the Chief Pharmacist, are members of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC).
Their training and professional qualification make them ideally placed to provide clinical advice and information to prescribers, nursing staff and patients on the safe and effective use of medicines.
Our pharmacists work in the dispensaries, on wards and in specialist services such as oncology, medicines information, ophthalmology, paediatrics, intensive care and aseptic preparation.
Technicians
Pharmacy technicians have an NVQ level 3 and underpinning knowledge certificate in pharmaceutical science. They are also registered with the (GPhC). Their duties include the dispensing of prescriptions, the preparation of aseptic products and over recent years their role has expanded.
Many of our technicians are taking medication histories, advising patients on how to take their medicines, undertaking the final check on a dispensed prescription, managing our dispensaries, controlling stock and purchasing.
Assistants
Pharmacy assistants have an important role and are trained in the pharmacy. Their duties include the distribution of stock to wards and departments and stock control of pharmaceuticals in the department.
Clerical and administrative staff
Our clerical and administrative staff support our pharmacy services, doing things like communication with patients and staff, maintaining databases, keeping records of orders, preparation of reports and helping with the day to day running of the department.
Inpatients
During your stay in hospital a member of the pharmacy team will visit the ward each weekday. You may see technicians and pharmacists on the ward.
We will check through the medication you have brought with you and ask you questions about your regular prescriptions.
You will also be asked about any medicines which you buy over the counter, including complementary remedies and vitamins.
Having an accurate and detailed list of the medicines you were taking before you came into hospital helps us advise on changes to your medicines and be alert for adverse effects or interactions.
The ward pharmacist will refer to your medication history and discuss any concerns with the doctors responsible for your care. The pharmacist will ‘screen’ the prescription chart (often referred to as a ‘drug chart’) making sure doses and dosage times are appropriate and checking for any drug interactions.
If you are coming into hospital for treatment, please bring all your medicines with you.
They will be kept in a locked cabinet beside your bed. This enables us to continue your treatment without interruption. When you leave hospital your medicines will be returned to you and, if your own supply is running low, a further supply will be dispensed.
Please bring your prescribed medicines in their original boxes or bottles. These have a label printed with your name and dosage instructions.
Don’t forget – medicines includes items such as inhalers, eye drops, patches and creams.
Outpatients
When you visit the hospital for an outpatient appointment please bring information about your current medicines with you.
This can be in the form of a repeat prescription printout from your GP or a handwritten list. If you prefer you may bring in the actual medicine packs.
The nurse or doctor at the outpatient clinic may need to know the names, strengths and doses of:
- Medicines prescribed by your GP including eye drops, inhalers, creams, patches etc
- Medicines you buy ‘over the counter’
- Any complementary (e.g. herbal) medicines you take
- You should also tell the doctor or nurse if you have ever had an allergic reaction, or serious side effects, from any medicines
At your outpatient appointment you may be given a prescription. We will tell you if you should take it to your local community pharmacy for dispensing or to the hospital pharmacy.
If you normally pay for prescriptions from your GP you will also have to pay for medicines from the hospital pharmacy, and any medicines prescribed to you in our A&E departments.
Many people are entitled to free prescriptions and if this is the case, you will be asked to complete a form. A summary of the exemptions are listed below but if you would like more information please ask either at the hospital pharmacy or your community pharmacy.
Generally we will dispense one month's treatment but usually issue a maximum of seven-days supply for prescriptions from Accident & Emergency.
If your treatment is to continue you may get further supplies from your GP.
If the medicine you have been prescribed is only available from the hospital, we will continue to supply it against a current prescription. We can only dispense hospital prescriptions, not those from your GP surgery.
Check what help you could get to pay for NHS costs on the NHS Business Services Authority website.