Pharmacy

Our pharmacy department ensures the safe, optimal, and effective use of medications across Grampians Health.

Who we care for

Hospital pharmacists provide care to patients throughout their stay at hospital. They ensure you receive your regular medicines correctly and safely while in hospital. They will also review your prescribed medicines during your stay and at discharge.

What you can expect

Hospital pharmacists work with medical staff to review and dispense your required medicines. They check for medicine interactions or side effects and ensure you get the right medicines, dose, and formulation for the right duration. At discharge, they review your prescription, answer your questions, provide education on how to take your medicines, and help with dispensing or communication to your community pharmacy.

For Inpatients: Organising your discharge script

Your clinical pharmacist will organise the dispensing of your script at the Grampians Health pharmacy. They will bring it to you on the ward if dispensing at your community pharmacy is not an option.

Your clinical pharmacist will assist with organising your prescription upon discharge. At Ballarat, this can be dispensed for you by the Grampians Health pharmacy and given to you when leaving hospital.
In Horsham and Stawell your pharmacist (or doctor) will give you your prescription to take to your community pharmacy for dispensing.

For Outpatients: Ordering medications from the pharmacy 

GP prescriptions 
Prescriptions from your GP need to be filled by your community pharmacy. Our pharmacies are generally unable to dispense scripts from the community or your GP (except for specialised medications). Please phone the pharmacy department if you have any queries. 

Hospital prescriptions
If your medicine is available from a community pharmacy, you need to fill your prescription there (except for specialised medications).

Receiving medicines from us 
If you need your medication dispensed from a Grampians Health pharmacy (e.g., a prescription for a specialised medication):

At Ballarat present your script to the outpatient window of the pharmacy (CEP Building Level 4). 
Please phone the Horsham pharmacy prior to presenting to the department with your script.

If your prescriptions are kept at one of our pharmacy dispensaries, please phone during our opening hours to organise dispensing of your medications in advance.
Please ensure your order is made a number of days prior to you needing it, especially if it is being posted to you or made up (compounded). 

Please note we do not post drugs of dependence. 

Cost of medication and payments

In most cases, you will not be charged for medicines whilst you are staying in hospital (an inpatient).
You will be charged for medicines dispensed on discharge from Grampians Health, or if you are an outpatient filling a prescription at our pharmacy.
Please inform your pharmacist of any Concession, SafetyNet, Closing the Gap status or Veterans card that you hold so you can be charged correctly.
Additional costs will apply for postage, if dispensed medicines are required to be posted to patients.
Payment information will be supplied on your invoice.
- Payments for Ballarat invoices can also be made in person at the cashier (located in the lobby of the Gardner Pittard Building near the Drummond Street entrance) or at the Pharmacy Patient Window on level 4 of the CEP building.
- Payments for Horsham invoices can be made at the front reception desk near the Emergency Department.