Despite having well‐established clinical roles in many specialties, hospital pharmacists have not traditionally provided clinical services in the operating suite (OS). This paper describes the introduction of a clinical pharmacy service in the OS of a large metropolitan public hospital network. The initial focus of the service was on non‐clinical issues that were priorities for pharmacy and OS staff, such as medication supply, waste minimisation, expenditure, interdepartmental communication and legal compliance. Once ongoing funding for the positions was secured, cognitive clinical pharmacy services have become the focus. Benefits of the service have been demonstrated in medication safety, antibiotic stewardship and quality use of medicines. The 2 pharmacists have now become essential members of the OS. Work is underway to further develop pharmacists' roles in areas such as perioperative antimicrobial prescribing and perioperative management of patient's regular medication regimens to optimise the continuum of care.