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A machine to dispense prescriptions has been installed at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, the first in Scotland.
It can store 17,500 packs of medicines and be loaded either manually by a robotic arm or automatically from a conveyor.
Said pharmacist Rachel Wilson: “In addition to improved access, we wanted to improve efficiency and provide a dedicated room for patients to find out more about the medicines they have collected.
“The robot selects the medicines and delivers them via a spiral chute and controlled gate system directly to the appropriate work station, where they are labelled and checked for the patients by pharmacy staff.”
The system reduces waiting times for patients and carers. When a prescription is ready, the details are entered on to the pharmacy computer system. At night, it rearranges the packs to ensure best use of space, ready for the next day.
Copyright Press Association 2009
