Free medicines assessment and consultation for members of the public
Helping you get the best from your medicines
Our clinical pharmacists will work with you and your healthcare team to improve your health. We'll do this by helping you to gain a better understanding of your medical conditions and your medications.
Our service is completely free.
You'll benefit from our service if:
- You take a lot of medicines
- Sometimes you forget to take your medicines
- You're unsure why you were prescribed these medicines
- You think your medicines are not working well for you
Request an appointment
If your doctor is referring you, then you don't need to take any action. We'll be in contact with you.
Our team
Our clinical team are all registered pharmacists. We specialise in evidence-based medicine and solving medicine-related problems.
We're passionate about improving the health of the Dunedin community, and helping people achieve their health goals.
We look forward to meeting you!
What to expect at your appointment
You'll meet with an experienced clinical pharmacist (not with a student) at our clinic in Central Dunedin – see contact details below.
Your first appointment may take up to one hour, because we want to gain a thorough understanding of your medical conditions and the medicines you are taking.
We'll check how your medicines are working for you.
This includes checking your:
- Prescription medicines
- Non-prescription medicines
- Vitamins
- Natural health products
We'll answer any questions you have about your medicines, and provide guidance about how best to use them.
We may follow up by phone, or with further clinical appointments, as needed. All follow-ups are also free.
What to bring to your appointment
- All of your medicines (including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and natural products)
- Any medicines you would like to dispose of
- A list of any allergies you have
- Any records you may keep of your blood pressure or blood sugars
- A list of any questions you have
You're very welcome to bring whānau or other support people with you to your appointment.
Location and hours
We're located on the ground floor of the School of Physiotherapy Building at 325 Great King Street.
We're open 9am–5pm Monday–Friday.
Our location is:
Ground Floor
School of Physiotherapy Building
325 Great King Street
Central Dunedin
View our location on Google Maps
We have two free carparks across the street, outside the Department of Zoology. If you'll be driving in, we can give you more details about these carparks when you make your appointment.
Information for medical professionals
The School of Pharmacy Clinics aims to:
- Encourage adherence by resolving ineffective use of medicines by the patient
- Assist in the management of adverse effects
- Identify any potential medicine therapy problems
Registered pharmacists see patients for one appointment of up to an hour and follow-up by phone or additional appointments as appropriate.
Services are provided free of charge (funded by the University of Otago).
We will share a summary of our advice with the patient's nominated GP and pharmacist. This information will also be available on HealthConnect South.
Who this service is for
Patients who may benefit include those:
- Taking a large number of medicines
- Needing extra support to manage their medicine schedule
- Using inhalers / insulin pens or other devices who would benefit from technique training
- With medicine education / health literacy needs
Making a referral
Referrals can be submitted electronically via via secure ERMS through your PMS, by phone (03 479 8141), or by email (pharmacy.clinic@otago.ac.nz). Please include the following with your referral:
- Patient name and contact information
- NHI
- Referrer name and contact information
- Reason for referral
You can also request an appointment on your patient's behalf – the last three fields of the form allow you to add health care provider details.
The clinic is based in Central Dunedin (see contact details above). If your patient resides outside of Dunedin and you feel they would benefit from this service, you can refer them for a phone interview.