Hospital Pharmacist
Vol 10 No 10 p424
November 2003

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Robots should dispense through the night, say conference participants

Robots in hospital pharmacies are an under-used resource, according to participants at the “doing dispensing differently” conference held in London on 23 October.

David Watkinson from Watkinson Pharma Consultancy, pointed out that in no other industry were machines that cost as much as dispensing robots, and had their capabilities, largely left idle at evenings and weekends. Possibilities to put the robots to better use during these times included dispensing items for community pharmacies who could not justify the costs of buying their own robot, delegates suggested.

Pippa Roberts, chief pharmacist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where a dispensing robot has recently been installed, mentioned plans at her hospital for robots to dispense items for ward boxes overnight, so that they would be ready for staff in the morning.