Pharmacy

The Pharmacy Department at Monash Children’s Hospital provides pharmacy services to patients of the hospital. We have pharmacists based in the wards, working with the doctors, nurses and families to select the best medicines to treat our patients and to monitor how well they are working. We also have pharmacists working in the dispensary on Level 2, who prepare the medicines for patients to take home after their hospital stay or when they come to see a doctor in clinic. All of these pharmacists work with our patients and families, to ensure they understand their medicines and to answer any questions they might have.

There are pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who make specialised medicines, such as those used for cancer treatment and mixtures that are not available from other pharmacies. There are also pharmacy technicians who supply the wards and departments with medicines, which means that when a child needs a medicine it is there for the nurse to administer.

The staff working in the Pharmacy Department at Monash Children’s Hospital are part of the larger Monash Health Pharmacy Department and work with staff from other sites to develop and implement ways to improve our service. Many of our staff are members of pharmacy and hospital-wide committees, in which they are involved in activities such as auditing performance and reviewing guidelines.

We provide training to a large number of pharmacy students, with relationships with Victorian, interstate and some international universities. This training helps to ensure that the pharmacists of the future can continue to provide the best care for our patients.

What does a hospital pharmacist do?

The main role of a hospital pharmacist is to promote the safe and effective use of medication by:

• working with the healthcare team to ensure the selection of the best medication at the correct dose for an appropriate duration
• monitoring and preventing or minimising side effects and drug interactions
• providing medication counselling to patients
• dispensing medications for patients in wards, the emergency department and those attending outpatient clinics
• manufacturing specialised medications such as chemotherapy for cancer treatment, mixtures and creams etc
• offering specialist drug therapy advice to doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals within the hospital
• visiting patients in their home after discharge to ensure safe medication management, and to prevent errors and readmission to hospital.

Medicines Information Centre

This service is for both the general public and health professionals (including doctors, pharmacists, nurses, midwives and community health workers) for advice and assistance on:

• new medicines
• adverse effects of medicines
• medicine interactions

It specialises in:

• medicines in pregnancy
• medicines in breastfeeding
• medicines for children
• women’s health

The Medicines Information Centre provides telephone advice, and where appropriate, may act as a referral service by directing you to the best available resource to respond to your query or concern.

Contact
Phone: 03 9594 2361
Fax: 03 9594 6283
Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm

What should I know about my child’s medicines? 

Below is a list of questions you may wish to ask you pharmacist and/or doctor with regards to new and old medicines that have been prescribed for your child:

• the name of the medicine
• the purpose of the medicine
• how and when to take the medicine
• any possible side effects
• any foods, drinks and/or medicines that need to be avoided whilst taking the medicine
• any actions to avoid whilst taking the medicine
• any additional advice about the medicine
• If your child experiences any unexpected or troublesome side effects, especially if the medicine is new, or if you have concerns about any of your medicines, please let your child’s nurse, doctor and/or pharmacist know.

Consumer medicine information (CMI) leaflets and other information sheets are available from the pharmacy department. Ask your pharmacist if you would like information on any medicines your child is taking.

What will the hospital pharmacist ask me?

To optimise your medication therapy, a pharmacist may need to ask you some questions. For example:

• Does your child have allergies to any medicines or food additives?
• Has your child had a bad reaction to any medicines in the past?
• What medicines was your child taking before you came into hospital? This includes any eye drops, inhalers, injections, patches, non-prescription medicines, the oral contraceptive pill, vitamins and herbal medicines.
• Does your child have a regular pharmacy where you go to buy his/her medicines?
• Does a pharmacy pack your child’s medicines into a dosette or similar container for you?
• Do you have any of the following cards?
  • Medicare card
  • healthcare card
  • safety net card

You will not be charged for medicines supplied when your child has been admitted as patient. When your child is discharged from the hospital the doctors may need to write a prescription which can be dispensed at our pharmacies. It will incur the same PBS co-payment as community pharmacies. The amount you pay, even for non-PBS medications, can contribute to your safety net threshold for the calendar year.

Ask the pharmacist for more information.

If you have any of the following cards, please bring with these with you when presenting your prescription to the pharmacy department:

• Medicare card
• healthcare card
• safety net card

Contact
Phone: (03) 8572 3200
Email: pharmacy.MCH@monashhealth.org

Hours of operation
Monday to Friday, 8.30am-5pm

Location
Level 2, Monash Children’s Hospital
246 Clayton Road
Clayton VIC 3168

Please note weekend service is provided by pharmacy staff from Monash Medical Centre.