Pharmacy

WHAT IS THE PHARMACY DEPARTMENT ABOUT?

Pharmacy as a dynamic, information-driven, patient-orientated profession, through its infrastructure, competence and skills, is committed to fulfil the health care needs of South Africa and its people by being the:

• Custodian of medicine;
• Formulator, manufacturer, distributer and controller of safe, effective and quality medicine;
• Adviser on the safe, rational and appropriate use of medicine;
• Provider of accessible, essential clinical services including screening and referral services;
• Accessible provider of health care information;
• Provider of pharmaceutical care by taking responsibility for the therapeutic outcome of therapy and by being actively involved in the design, implementation and monitoring of an effective pharmaceutical service.
• Profession committed to competency and professionalism;
• Profession committed to co-operation with other members of the health care team in the interest of the patient; and
• Profession committed to cost-effective pharmaceutical services.

WHAT ARE THE SPECIALIZED SERVICES OF THE PHARMACY DEPARTMENT?

The following services or acts are regarded as being services or acts pertaining to the scope of practice of a pharmacist, the:

• Provision of pharmaceutical care by taking responsibility for the patient’s medicine-related needs and being accountable for meeting these needs, which shall include but not be limited to the following functions:
• Evaluation of a patient’s medicine-related needs by determining the indication, safety and effectiveness of the therapy;
• Dispensing of any medicine or scheduled substance on the prescription of a person authorised to prescribe medicine;
• Furnishing of information and advice to any person with the regard to the use of medicine;
• Determining patient compliance with the therapy and follow-up to ensure that the patient’s medicine-related needs are met; and
• The provision of pharmacist-initiated therapy;
• Compounding, manipulation, preparation or packaging of any medicine or scheduled substance or the supervision thereof;
• Manufacturing of any medicine or scheduled substance or the supervision thereof;
• Purchasing, acquiring, importing, keeping, possessing, using, releasing, storage, packaging, re-packaging, supplying or selling of any medicine or scheduled substance or the supervision thereof;
• Application for the registration of a medicine in accordance with the Medicine Act;
• Formulation of any medicine for the purpose of registration as a medicine;
• Distribution of any medicine or scheduled substance;
• Re-packaging of medicines; and
• Initiation and conducting of pharmaceutical research and development.

Witrand Hospital Pharmacy provides a personalised, quality, pharmaceutical care to mental health care users. (All in-patients and out-patients received individualised dispensing either with pre-packs or with dochettes).

• Witrand Hospital has a total of 797 beds with 644 beds reserved for intellectually disabled patients, 138 for psychiatric patients and 15 for physical medicine and rehabilitation.
• A pharmaceutical service is rendered to inpatients, outpatients and the physical medicine and rehabilitation unit. Quality assurance are an integral part of pharmaceutical practice.

The Pharmacy is subdivided into 2 departments:

• A main dispensary for psychiatric, intellectually disabled and physical medicine and rehabilitation unit in-patients.
• A satellite pharmacy for psychiatric, physical medicine and rehabilitation out-patients and an ADHD clinic.
• A pharmaceutical bulk store (pharmaceutical items, limited surgical supplies and PPE) is available at the main pharmacy and a surgical store is operated under SCM. Effective systems of drug supply management are provided to ensure efficiency and economy.
• The pharmacy is also actively involved in the procurement, storage and distribution of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the vaccination ward national programme.
• The pharmacy renders a service during official working hours. A Pharmacist is on call 24 hours per day for any emergency. Emergency medication is also available in the emergency room.
• The pharmacy also provides training to a community service pharmacists.

WHAT IS THE DISEASE PROFILE OF THE PHARMACY DEPARTMENT?

A holistic pharmaceutical care service are rendered.

HOW DOES ONE GET ACCESS TO THE PHARMACY DEPARTMENT (THROUGH GROOMING OR STRAIGHT)?

Various outreach initiatives are done together with psychiatric hospitals in the North West. These are when mental health professionals, psychiatrists, psychiatry registrars and psychologists provide care at clinics, regional, district hospitals and Community Health Centres.

Mental health care users are referred from acute hospitals to Witrand Specialized Hospital where they are assessed by a multi-professional team and prescriptions are then dispensed by the Pharmacy department.

COULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN THE STEPS FOLLOWED TO ACCESS THE SERVICES?

Various outreach initiatives are done together with psychiatric hospitals in the North West. These are when mental health professionals, psychiatrists, psychiatry registrars and psychologists provide care at clinics, regional, district hospitals and Community Health Centres.

Mental health care users are referred from acute hospitals to Witrand Specialized Hospital where they are assessed by a multi-professional team and prescriptions are then dispensed by the Pharmacy department.

WHAT TYPE OF DIAGNOSIS DO YOU ADMIT AT THE PHARMACY?

• Admissions not done at the Pharmacy Department.
• A holistic pharmaceutical care service are rendered.

ARE THERE ANY COMPETENT SKILLED NURSES OR DOCTORS WORKING SPECIALLY FOR THE UNIT?

N/A

HOW MANY ARE THEY AND WHAT DO THEY SPECIALISE WITH?

N/A

WHAT MACHINES MEDICAL EQUIPMENT: DIAGNOSTIC / TREATMENT / DO YOU USE AT THE UNIT?

• Rx Solutions Dispensing Programme
• Prescriptions dispensed according to Standard Treatment Guidelines and the Essential Medicine List.

HOW EFFECTIVE ARE THE SYSTEMS AND MACHINES IN ASSISTING WITH SPEEDY RECOVERY OF THE PATIENTS?

• Medicine availability at Witrand Hospital Pharmacy exceeds the target of 90%
• Patients not receiving prescribed medicine on their appointment date are below the target of <5%

DO YOU THINK YOUR DEPARTMENT IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE AS A MENTAL & REHABILITATION HOSPITAL SERVICES AND WHAT MAKES THE STAFF IN THE UNIT SUCCEED?

The Pharmacy Department is making a difference as a mental & rehabilitation and hospital service by rendering the following sevices:

• A sound management structure to ensure efficient practice.
• Quality assurance is an integral part of pharmaceutical practice.
• Witrand Hospital Pharmacy comply with statutory requirements.
• Safe systems of work are established and maintained to eliminate errors in any component of the pharmaceutical service.
• Effective systems of drug supply management are provided to ensure efficiency and economy.
• A prescription monitoring system is established to ensure that both prescribing and administration of medicines are monitored regularly.
• Counselling of patients and their caregivers are undertaken to promote the correct and safe use of medicines.
• Medicine information are provided to ensure the safe, effective and economic use of medicines.
• Pharmacy staff have excellent ongoing relationships with colleagues and other health care professionals as well as other pharmacies to improve pharmaceutical services.
• Pharmacists have a personal responsibility for continued professional development.

WHAT ARE EXPECTATIONS FROM PATIENTS AND PUBLIC / YOUR FACILITIES?

• Availability of prescribed pharmaceutical care.
• High quality of pharmaceutical services rendered.
• Pharmacovigilance.
• Waiting times for pharmaceutical services rendered within target.
• Effective medicine supply management.

HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH SUCH EXPECTATIONS?

All practising pharmacists are obliged to ensure that the service they provide is of high quality and complies with Good Pharmacy Practice Standards as published by Council in rules. The Good Pharmacy Practice in South Africa indicates how that obligation can be met. Good Pharmacy Practice is obligatory in terms of Section 35A of the Pharmacy Act 53 of 1974, as amended (“the Pharmacy Act”), Regulation 20(1) of the Regulations Relating to the Practice of Pharmacy and Regulation 7(a) of the Regulations Relating to the Ownership and Licensing of Pharmacies published in terms of the Pharmacy Act as well as Regulation 18(7)(b) of the General Regulations published in terms of the Medicines and Related Substances Act 101 of 1965, as amended (the “Medicines Act”).