Our medicines team includes pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who work to bring together all those involved in the use of medicines in Dorset.
The team works alongside our partners in Dorset to ensure what matters most about your medicines is included in the way services are designed, commissioned, and delivered in a joined-up way.
We do not provide pharmacy services ourselves but work with GPs, pharmacists, nurses and other healthcare professionals to improve medicines use to meet your needs.
Improving access to medicines
Looking for medicines information
Overprescribing and medicines review
Patient resources
Antibiotics don’t work for everything
Resistance to antibiotics presents a very real and significant threat to modern healthcare. People can make a positive contribution to reducing antibiotic resistance in our community by becoming aware of resistance.
Antibiotics are no longer routinely used to treat infections because:
Both the NHS and health organisations across the world are trying to reduce the use of antibiotics, especially for health problems that are not serious.
For example, antibiotics are no longer routinely used to treat:
Greener medicines
Climate change impacts everyone’s health and in particular patients with respiratory disease. Patients can work with clinicians to improve their respiratory symptoms and make treatments more environmentally friendly. If you are worried about your carbon footprint or how well your symptoms are being controlled, then read on and please talk to your surgery for options.
Can a greener inhaler help you fight climate change?
Looking for medicines information or advice?
Overprescribing and medicines review
Medicines do people a lot of good where they are effective. But medicines can also cause harm and can be wasted.
Over the last 25 years overprescribing has become a serious problem in health systems internationally.
The NHS has been investing in clinical pharmacists working alongside GPs to help review what matters most to you about your medicines and improve your treatment in a way that works for you.
Structured medication reviews
Your GP surgery will be part of a primary care network. These networks will have a wide range of healthcare professionals available to help you.
A structured medication review is a discussion about your medicines held with a healthcare professional who has been trained to provide this service, this may be a clinical pharmacist, your GP or a specially trained nurse.
People who may benefit from a structured medication review of their medicines are invited to talk about this with their healthcare professional. You might be asked because you are taking several medicines or are taking medicines for long‑term conditions. The review can help to identify any medicines that are no longer needed or any that need the dose changed. The healthcare professional should listen to your views and take these into account. They should also think about risk factors you may have which could increase your chance of developing adverse drug reactions and if any specific monitoring is needed.
Taking charge of your medicine with Mo
Mo's medicines: from hospital to home
Resources from Wessex Academic Health Network