Pharmacy

Unlike pharmacies in the community, we do not keep a comprehensive range of medicines. Instead, we focus primarily on specialised medications, particularly those used for cancer care. This targeted approach allows us to cater to the unique needs of patients at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre, but it also means we may not have some of the more common medicines that a community pharmacy would typically stock. As such, you will likely have a “regular” community pharmacy in addition to collecting medicines from the Allerton Family Oncology Pharmacy.

Due to the high cost of many of the medicines we provide, especially those used in cancer care and complex medical treatments, as well as frequent nationwide drug shortages, we are unable to supply more than one month’s supply of medication at a time. This policy is essential to ensure we can continue to serve as many patients as possible and maintain adequate stock for everyone in need. By limiting the supply, we help ensure a fair and equitable distribution of medicines, particularly during times of shortage. Occasional exceptions to the one-month limit may be possible depending on individual circumstances. In these instances, approval would need to be organised one-two days prior to medication collection.

Many of the medicines we provide are highly specialised, requiring careful preparation, documentation, and safety checks. As a result, the process of dispensing medications can take longer than it might at your local pharmacy. For patients on complex medication regimens, our team performs a number of additional steps to ensure safety, including:

• Creating dosing charts tailored to individual patient’s medication schedules
• Taking a comprehensive medication history to avoid medication interactions
• Providing medication counselling to ensure patients and carers understand how and when to take their medicines and what side effects may occur and how to manage them
• Reviewing current blood test results and reading doctor’s notes to verify that the prescribed regimen is safe and appropriate.

These processes are crucial for patient safety, especially when dealing with powerful or complicated medicines, but they do require additional time and attention for each patient.

As a patient, it is important to take an active role in managing your medication. Here are some key responsibilities to keep in mind:

• Concession and safety net cards: Please present your concession card and/or your safety net card before your prescription is dispensed.
• Medication refills: Be aware of when your medication needs to be refilled. Keeping track of your medication supply ensures that you do not run out unexpectedly.
• Obtaining prescriptions: When you run out of repeats on your prescription, you will need to get a new script from your doctor. Pharmacy staff will tell you when you have used your last repeat. Make sure you know how many repeats you have remaining before your doctor review so you can request new scripts when you need them. This will reduce risk of any interruptions in your medication regimen.
• Preordering medication: If you keep your prescriptions on file with us, call 03 4215 2678 ahead of time to order your next supply. This allows us to order in your medication if we do not keep it on hand and significantly reduces your wait time.

It is important to note that there is only one pharmacist on duty at a time to provide all these outpatient pharmacy services. Given the complexity of these specialised medicines for many patients, waiting times may be longer than your local pharmacy. A one-hour wait time should be expected.

We remain committed to providing safe, effective, and compassionate pharmacy services for all our patients. Thank you for entrusting us with your care, and for your patience as we work to meet your medication needs with the attention and diligence you deserve.