New robot starts work in Bury St Edmunds pharmacy
Wednesday 26th May 2010
A new member of the team has begun working at a pharmacy in the south of England.
Unlike his colleagues, the as yet unnamed staff member is robotic.
West Suffolk Hospital has introduced the unit, which cost £1.63 million, in a bid to increase efficiency and accuracy in the dispensing of medication.
It is capable of memorising where it has stored up to 20,000 packets of drugs, enabling it to retrieve the items quickly.
In addition, the device can help with stock control by storing information on expiry dates.
Commenting on the addition, Simon Whitworth, chief pharmacist at the hospital - which was founded in 1832 and provides services for a population of around 275,000 - said it will enhance patient services.
He added: "As well as improving the speed at which medicines can be dispensed, the robot will also free-up huge amounts of staff time which would otherwise need to be spent locating drugs by hand."
Written by Angela Newbury
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