The Pharmacy Trials Team is involved before, during and after a study is active. Its responsibilities include risk assessments for trials so participants are safeguarded and to verify legal and practical issues, writing trial-specific procedures so that drugs are dispensed and labelled appropriately, and making sure trial medicines are available, suitably stored and packaged.

The wider pharmacy team also supports research so the Trials Team provides tailored training for around 250 colleagues – including Pharmacists, Pharmacy Technicians, Dispensary and Stores Staff.

The work doesn’t finish when the last dose has been given though – the Trials Team is also responsible for making sure pharmacy site files are well maintained so there is a complete record of the management of the study drugs.

Clinical trial drugs are stored separately to ‘standard’ medicines given to in-patients and the conditions in which they are stored and dispensed are closely monitored to ensure patient safety.

Although they are generally new drugs, they have already been rigorously tested before they are given to patients and the pharmacists will have detailed information about them, their effects and how they should be used.