The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 280 No 7484 p3
5/12 January 2008

This article
Reprint   Photocopy

  Acrobat Reader

News summary

Pharmacy staff key in safe transfer of patients during Marsden blaze

Pharmacy staff played an important part in the care of patients who were transferred to the Royal Brompton Hospital, London, following last week’s fire at the neighbouring Royal Marsden Hospital.

Staff from both hospitals worked together to risk assess patients during and after transfer, and to help fill any information gaps arising from lack of access to electronic patient records.

Ian Costello, chief pharmacist at the Royal Marsden, explained that following evacuation patients were initially transferred to St Paul’s Church, Onslow Square.

On learning that patients would be admitted to the Royal Brompton, staff there established a pharmacy presence at the church to triage the patients, and a team of about 10 pharmacists and technicians from the Royal Marsden went to the Royal Brompton to help receive the patients.

About 50 patients had been transferred to the Royal Brompton by the afternoon of the fire, and the remainder of the pharmacy department from the Royal Marsden also moved sites.

A high volume of dispensing was required. Judith Foy, associate director of pharmacy at the Royal Brompton, explained that staff from the Royal Marsden “buddied up” with staff from the Royal Brompton to form teams. Patients were admitted to a variety of wards.

“Initially the immediate needs of the patients were assessed, followed by longer term planning for the next 24 hours,” Mr Costello explained.

The pharmacy team helped ensure patients had the required analgesics and antiemetics and supported decisions about whether chemotherapy should be continued. Mr Costello said: “The staff were a credit to themselves and the profession. They were integral in making sure no patient came to any clinical harm or had any treatment delayed as a result of the incident.”

Overall, there were sufficient stocks of drugs to deal with demand. Some items specific to Royal Marsden patients were brought in from the Royal Marsden’s Surrey site in Sutton , or ordered from wholesalers.

The only part of the pharmacy department damaged by the fire was the aseptic department, where there was smoke damage. Aseptic products are currently being outsourced or prepared at other sites.