Outpatient pharmacy
We have a dedicated outpatient dispensing service in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, located on Level 2 in the main entrance of the Emergency Care Centre.
This service dispenses all outpatient and emergency department prescriptions, as well as offering over-the-counter medicines and products for sale.
Outpatient contact details
Opening Hours
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Closed for lunch – 1:30pm – 2:00pm
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Closed on Saturday, Sunday & Bank Holidays
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We do not dispense medication from prescriptions written by your GP. You will need to take these to a local community pharmacy.
Inpatient pharmacy
Your Medicines – if you are coming into hospital
In order to ensure that you continue to receive the same medication you are familiar with at home, please bring in all your medicines when you are admitted. You may have been provided with a green plastic bag. This is for the safe storage and transport of your medicines.
Your medication may include tablets, liquids, inhalers, sprays, insulins, creams, eye drops, patches and any herbal or homeopathic remedies you have bought.
Please bring your medicines in their original containers. If you use a pre-made weekly pack, or follow a reminder chart, then please bring this also.
Please carry an up-to-date copy of your prescription with you at all times.
During your stay
If for any reason you cannot bring in your medication from home, don’t worry. Our pharmacy will provide anything which is needed, along with anything newly prescribed.
Your medicines will be stored in a locked cabinet by your bedside, or a locked fridge if required.
You will see members of the pharmacy team, including pharmacists and technicians, on the ward. We will be talking to you about your medications, so if you have any questions, please ask.
We kindly ask that relatives and visitors do not bring other medicines into hospital for you if they have not been prescribed for you. Anything you take in hospital must be prescribed and recorded on your inpatient chart. This is for your safety. If there is something you would like to take then please talk to the pharmacist on the ward.
When you are discharged from hospital
Before you are discharged, a pharmacist or nurse will discuss your medication with you. We will talk through how and when to take your medicines, what they are for, and any side effects that you need to watch out for.
We will provide you with a supply of at least seven days of any medication which you need at that time, if you do not already have a supply of your own.
Please confirm with either a pharmacist or a nurse that you are happy that you have all your medicines and all the information you need before you leave.
Don’t worry if you get home and still have some questions, either contact us on the numbers below or call into your local pharmacy.
Main Contact Numbers
Working in the pharmacy
The Pharmacy Department at QE Gateshead is committed to the development and training of all grades of staff.
Our commitment extends to the employment of university undergraduates studying pharmacy.
Undergraduate Training Scheme
The undergraduates are given the opportunity to ‘earn as they learn,’ facilitating them to work flexible hours within the department and gain invaluable experience to complement their studies. The scheme allows undergraduates to gain confidence within a hospital environment and provides them with a strong background when applying for pre-registration training positions.
The Pharmacy Department has strong links with the University of Sunderland and we facilitate the clinical placements of university undergraduates. The clinical placements allow the undergraduates to spend time shadowing a clinical pharmacist during ward visits and complete the assessment tasks set by the University.
Vocational Employment
Our vocational employment scheme involves a paid four-week scheme for pharmacy undergraduates. The undergraduates follow a programme that allows them to shadow clinical pharmacists within different specialities, observe the preparation of aseptic products and spend time dispensing medication for discharge.
The overall aims of the programme are to:
- provide opportunities for pharmacy undergraduates to gain a broad range of experiences in pharmacy practice within hospital pharmacy.
- enable pharmacy students to make informed career decisions.
Places on this programme are limited and there are always more applicants than positions, so apply early if you are interested in this type of employment.
For further details please contact
Diane Skelly, Education & Training Pharmacist
