Systemic anti-cancer treatment comes in different forms. The main types are those taken by mouth (oral) and those that are given into your veins (injections and infusions). Often if your treatment is given by mouth, you can collect the medicine from the outpatient pharmacy dispensary in Bexley Wing and take them home with you as an outpatient.
Outpatient treatment
If you can have your treatment as an outpatient, the doctor will prescribe enough tablets for a course of treatment on a prescription. You would then bring the prescription to the Bexley Wing dispensary to be dispensed. We will supply you with sufficient tablets for the whole course of treatment and advise you on how to take your medication.
You can collect your medicines from the dispensary, located on level 0, alongside main reception at the entrance. It is open Monday to Friday 8.30 am to 5 pm. We can give you information and answer any questions you may have about your medications and make sure that you receive the right chemotherapy and other medications for your treatment.
Day-case and inpatient treatment preparation
If your treatment is to be administered by injection or infusion you will come for treatment in the day case unit or sometimes be an inpatient. Before you come for treatment, the doctor will prescribe the medicines you will need and we will check it and whenever possible prepare it in advance, so it will be ready for you when you come for treatment.
Your pharmacist will safety check the prescription before the treatment is prepared to ensure the doses of all the medicines prescribed are the appropriate ones for you and that you have had all the correct pre-treatment tests.
Before each and every treatment session, we will review your prescription. Only after this can our pharmacy technicians start to prepare your treatment.
Preparing your treatment is a complicated process. We must ensure accuracy and keep everything sterile and this takes time. If your treatment cannot be prepared in advance of your arrival, please be patient, as there will be a waiting period. We hope you will be understanding because it is your safety that comes first and we must take the time we need to do everything right.
After the treatment has been prepared, the pharmacist checks it once again against the prescription to make sure it is correct. It is then taken from Pharmacy to the Oncology Day Unit or inpatient ward to be given to you.
Treatment preparation – the Pharmacy Aseptic Unit
Order processing
- A Specialist Pharmacist will order the treatment direct to the Aseptics Unit
- We aim to process work 24-hours prior to your appointment
N.B. Some drugs have a short expiry and so can only be made on treatment day.
1. Worksheet (or recipe) for preparation
Each product we make has its own worksheet. This records details of what we are making, who it is for, how to make it and who it has been made by.
Labels are produced giving details of the drug, dose, patient, storage conditions and expiry details of the product.
The worksheet and labels are checked before the treatment is made.
2. Getting the Raw Materials Ready
Equipment used includes:
- Needles
- Syringes
- Bags of fluid
- The treatment drug itself
- Sterile wipes (used during the process)
3. Making Your Treatment
All the equipment is disinfected and sent into a clean room where the treatment is prepared.
The treatment is made within an isolator which uses specially filtered air and pressure gradients to ensure a sterile environment.
4. Final check
Once the treatment has been made it is transferred out of the clean room to another area called the release area.
A team of pharmacists carry out two further checks (accuracy check and final release check).
In these checks we make sure that the treatment has been prepared according to the worksheet and that the product is suitable for use.
5. Delivery to day-case unit
A dedicated team of delivery staff deliver the treatment to the day case unit.
Specially trained nurses will then administer the treatment to you.