Patients can bring own medicines to A&E
University Hospital of North Staffordshire has revolutionised the way its pharmacy department handles medicines. The Trust's 'One Stop Dispensing' initiative improves the way medicines are handled in the hospital from admission to discharge. The latest development has seen lockers added to all A&E trolleys to allow patients to bring their own medicines with them. The Trust is one of just a few hospitals in the country to have developed secure lockers attached to A&E trolleys.
Jonathan Snape, pharmacist, said: "Research shows the benefits of patients bringing their own medication with them. This has not been possible previously because keeping them secure in such a busy department has been problematic. Attaching a medicines locker to an A&E trolley sounds like a simple task, but the lockers must be secure, meet infection control requirements and not impede the work of our dedicated and highly skilled A&E staff."
Patients attending A&E are now being given special green bags by community pharmacists so that they can bring their medicines in with them. Jonathan Snape said: "We identify on admission whether the patient's own drugs, which have been brought in from home, are suitable for use during the in-patient stay. This helps our A&E colleagues confirm the patient’s current prescription, and these medicines may then be suitable for use as part of the patient's discharge prescription to help them to go home more quickly without having to wait for a whole new prescription from the hospital pharmacy. Support for this initiative has been gained from general practitioners, community pharmacists and West Midlands Ambulance Service.
"The Trust is investing in its pharmacy service in advance of the move into the new hospital. Last year we installed a robot that dispenses medicines faster and more accurately than before. Pharmacy staff have been equipped with wireless Computers on Wheels (COW's) on wards to streamline the supply of medicines. When we move there will be pneumatic tubes throughout the new hospital that will be able to send medicines to wards instantaneously. I'm really excited about all these changes to the pharmacy and I'm sure University Hospital patients will soon see the benefits of these new pharmacy initiatives."