Pharmacy

Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital Pharmacy provides pharmaceutical services that compliment and support other hospital services and contribute to the delivery of excellent patient care.

This is achieved by the provision of safe, quality,  cost effective medication distribution and utilisation.

The Pharmacy Department provides a comprehensive and professional clinical pharmacy service to all inpatients and outpatients,

SCGH Pharmacy provides a wide range of services via the following channels:

  • Pharmacy Stores
  • Inpatient Pharmacy
  • Outpatient Pharmacy
  • Aseptic Services Unit
  • Clinical Pharmacy
  • Specialised Drug Supply
  • Corporate Services

There is some changes to Outpatient Pharmacy options – please refer to Changes to Outpatient Pharmacy service delivery for metro patients (PDF) for more information.

Pharmacy Stores are responsible for the purchasing, storage, distribution and supply of medicines to all areas of the hospital. There are over 4000 line items held in the store, with deliveries received daily from local and interstate suppliers.

The Inpatient Pharmacy supplies medications for patients who are being discharged from hospital as well as medicines to inpatients. This is a secure area only accessible by SCGH staff members – all discharge medications will be delivered to the appropriate ward area for collection.

The Outpatient dispensary supplies medication to patients who have seen doctors at the SCGH outpatient clinics. Only prescriptions written on SCGH stationery can be accepted. We dispense highly specialised drugs or medications not reimbursed by Medicare (non-PBS medications) which are inaccessible or too costly to have dispensed in the community.

While we endeavour to process prescriptions as quickly as possible, we service various clinics with large patient numbers so wait times do vary depending on our workload. We are often dealing with complex medications which may require verification with the doctor. A pharmacist will always provide appropriate counselling and written information on handout.

Aseptic Services Unit is responsible for the dispensing of complex sterile pharmaceuticals which cannot be safely produced on wards and clinics. These preparations include total parenteral nutrition therapy, chemotherapy, intrathecal solutions, eye drops and a range of ambulatory devices. These pharmaceuticals are prepared using precise aseptic technique in laminar air flow and cytotoxic safety cabinets operating in a high grade cleanroom environment.

Clinical pharmacists are responsible for safe, legal, and economic use of medications and coordinate access to pharmaceutical supplies for clinical areas. By undertaking drug therapy review, pharmacokinetic monitoring, patient counselling and provision of drug information to patients, carers, and hospital staff, the clinical pharmacists ensure high level of patient care.

SCGH Clinical Trial Pharmacy is involved in a range of Phase I to Phase III Clinical Trials and manages trial medication for a number of departments at SCGH including:

  • Medical Oncology
  • Haematology
  • Radiation Oncology
  • Renal Medicine and
  • Hepatology

We are also involved in the management of trial mediation for external organisations located on the QEII campus such as Linear Clinical Research, the Keogh Institute for Medical Research, Perron Institute, Lions Eye Institute and the University of WA.

Last Updated: 13/01/2021