Inpatient medication
The nurses give out medicines at regular
intervals during the day.
The routine drug rounds start around
7.30am, 12.00 noon, 5.00pm and 10.00pm.
Many wards have a visiting pharmacist who will
see all patients present at that time. The Clinical Decision Unit
(CDU) also has a pharmacy technician.
Please ask the nursing staff if you need pain
relief or other medication between medication rounds.
Unlicensed medicines
With a few exceptions, medicines that are
prescribed or sold in this country are approved for use by the
government's Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency
(MHRA). This helps ensure that medicines:
- are effective
- do not cause too many side effects
- are manufactured under good conditions.
In order to provide patients with the best or
most suitable treatment, it is sometimes necessary for doctors and
pharmacists to supply medicines that have not gone through this
approval process. They will not do this unless they believe the
medicine to be safe and effective.
It is also sometimes necessary to use
medicines for uses other than those for which they have been
approved. Treatments that have not gone through this approval
process are called 'unlicensed medicines'.
During your stay in hospital you may be
prescribed an unlicensed medicine. If you have any concerns
regarding unlicensed medicines please talk to your doctor or
pharmacist.
A leaflet explaining unlicensed medicines is available from
Pharmacy.
Useful Contacts
Hospital switchboard (general enquiries)
0118 322 5111
Patient Advice & Liaison Service (PALS)
0118 322 8338