Spotlight on the oncology and haematology pharmacy team
Our specialist oncology and haematology pharmacy team provides a service to patients who are receiving treatment at Weybourne Day Unit, Mulbarton ward, North Norfolk Macmillan Cancer Centre and the Mobile Cancer Care Unit.
The team, which consists of five pharmacists, two pharmacy technicians and one pharmacy assistant, is based at the entrance to Mulbarton Ward and clinically screens around 2,500 prescriptions for oral and intravenous anti-cancer drugs every month.
They work closely with medical and nursing staff to ensure that each treatment is safe, appropriate and funded and a pharmacist-led outpatient myeloma clinic has recently been initiated.
Zoe Armstrong, Pharmacy Technician, said: “Once the patient is assessed by the medical team and Clinical Nurse Specialists, the pharmacy team work closely with these clinicians to ensure the patient receives their treatment in a timely manner. Over 1,200 prescriptions for oral cancer treatments are dispensed each month.”
To minimise the risk posed by visiting the hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic, the pharmacy department set up a home delivery service and almost 400 patients continue to utilise this service every month.
Zoe added that the team hopes to develop a dedicated oncology and haematology satellite pharmacy, located close to the Colney Centre. This would streamline the safe dispensing of anti-cancer and supportive care medicines, minimise patient waiting times and allow for increased availability of patient medication counselling.
The oncology and haematology pharmacy team includes Amanda Corley, Zoe Armstrong, Magdalena Stonehouse, Sally Taylor, Matthew Small, Margo Hollamby, Jamie Adams, Gemma Butcher and Nicola Kaciubskyj.