11 July 2023
Pharmacy team challenge for hospital charity
Nicola Howarth, Deputy Chief Pharmacist, says “The pharmacy department at University Hospital Southampton (UHS) has around 350 staff.
As we are such a big department, we wanted to do something outside of work to give us an opportunity to come together as a team.
We often don’t get to see each other on a day-to-day basis as we work in different areas of the hospital, so taking on a fundraising challenge for our hospital charity was a lovely excuse to spend time together!
We see the benefits that Southampton Hospitals Charity delivers for our patients and staff in UHS and want to support this valuable work.
Earlier this year we had two teams taking on the Romsey Marathon Relay, coming a respectable 41st and 94th out of 168 teams! It was a very hot day which made it quite a challenge but the support from our colleagues on the side lines kept everyone going.
We have a few events that people are taking part in during 2023 such as the Great South Run, and some more relaxed events such as a quiz night so everyone can get involved.”
About the Southampton pharmacy department
“I have worked for UHS for over 20 years and am grateful for the opportunities that have allowed me to progress from a trainee pharmacist to a deputy chief pharmacist.
Supplying medicines for patients is one of the most important jobs we do, and we run two busy dispensaries and a large pharmacy store to do this, but there is a lot more to pharmacy than just supply.
We also have clinical staff who work on the wards and in clinics to make sure medicines are correctly prescribed and available for our patients.
We run a regional medicines advice service, make chemotherapy and nutrition in our special aseptic clean rooms, and closely support clinical trials taking place in Southampton as well as provide all sorts of training opportunities.
It is hard work, but no day is ever the same, and I love the feeling that I’ve made a difference even for just one patient, that I’ve helped our nurses, advised our doctors, and supported my fellow pharmacy team.”