Patient information

Pharmacy

Find out how to ask our pharmacists for advice and what will happen when you come to one of our pharmacies.

Contact details

If you have any questions about your own or your child's medications, and would like to talk to a pharmacist please call our medicine helpline.

Phone: 020 3311 1703
Phone: 020 3311 1700
Phone: 020 3311 1713

Lines are open between 09.15 to 17.00, Monday through Friday.

Outpatient and A&E prescriptions

If you have been given an outpatient prescription at your hospital appointment, you will need to take this to the outpatient’s dispensary within the hospital (see locations in clinic information).

On the three main sites these pharmacies are run by Lloyds Pharmacy in partnership with the Trust and you cannot use the prescription at a pharmacy or chemist outside the Trust.

Prescriptions issued by our hospital clinics will usually provide a four weeks’ supply of medication.

A&E prescriptions are filled with seven days’ supply of medications and standard prescription charges and exemptions also apply.

Please remember to bring money with you to your appointment to pay for any prescriptions you might be given.

There are cash machines in or near each of our hospitals and you can pay for your prescriptions by credit or debit card at our Lloyds outpatient pharmacies.

You will need to pay a standard NHS prescription charge for each item, unless you are exempt from paying for your prescriptions. You may be asked to provide proof of your exemption, so please remember to bring this with you to your appointment.

More information on prescription costs and exemptions can be found on NHS Choices.

GP prescriptions

If you have been given a blue letter you will need to take this to your GP who will then issue your prescription as we are unable to dispense GP prescriptions from any of our hospital pharmacies.

Clinical trial prescriptions

If your medicine is prescribed to you as part of a clinical trial, then you will need to present the prescription to the Trust pharmacy on the site at which you are given the prescription.

Inpatient pharmacy

Our inpatient pharmacies are run by the Trust on each site. This includes dispensing medicines for inpatients and for discharge, as well as for clinical trials.

When coming in to hospital please ensure that you bring any medicines which you are taking in with you. This will help ensure that we have an accurate record of your usual medication history.

Discharge prescriptions

When being discharged after a stay at one of our hospitals, your hospital doctor will issue you with a discharge summary which will include a list of any medicines you need to take home with you. This may include prescriptions for any medications you were taking before coming to hospital.

On discharge, the pharmacy department will ensure you have at least 14 days’ supply of your medications, or enough medication to complete the course if it is a short course of medication.

There are no prescription charges to pay for these NHS hospital prescriptions.

A copy of your prescription will also be sent to your GP so that they can continue to supply you with further prescriptions as necessary.