INNOVATION
‘The launch of Cadham Pharmacy Health Centre really is the realisation of my vision for pharmacy,’ Bernadette told SP. ‘We had already been working with our French robot ‘Mac’ for some time, but I knew that, in order to make my dream a reality, the whole concept of the pharmacy would need to be altered.
‘Initially, I started toying with the idea of a second robot to free up my and my pharmacists’ time to provide a wider range of services, but I quickly realised that, in order to accommodate a second robot, I’d require much more space.
‘When we drew up the plans, the architect said he’d practically have to knock the shop down to house both robots and so he suggested that we get rid of the consultation room and the retail area. My ultimate goal in pharmacy, however, has always been to develop services, and so I knew that I wanted to have not one but two treatment rooms. And so the decision was made that the retail area had to go.’
It’s the fact that there is no ‘front of shop’ that makes Cadham Pharmacy Health Centre particularly striking. Where ‘traditional’ community pharmacies have a wide range of OTC products on display, Cadham certainly
looks more akin to a GP surgery.
Instead of the traditional retail display, patients are met by a reception area, with seating for patients who are waiting to be triaged. Instead of walls taken up with OTC products and retail offering, Cadham’s walls feature five digital screens with displays for smoking cessation, OTC products, the pharmacy’s travel clinic.
If, for example, a patient or customer wishes to purchase an OTC product, they simply pull down the touchscreen, touch the appropriate product button (which also tells them how many are currently in stock) and order accordingly. With three clicks of a button, the robot will dispense the required product.
Those requiring assistance with this state-of-the-art ordering system are aided by members of staff, who are readily available to help with this process, primarily because their time has been freed up by the robot.
‘There’s no doubt that this new system is definitely out of this world,’ Bernadette continues. ‘I wanted to ensure that the public has an insight into what the robot does behind the scenes and I am so pleased with our little window into it, which enables visitors to see what he is up to. The
Jenny Gilruth and Bernadette Brown get an insider’s view of one of the robots
INTRODUCING ‘MAC’
Cadham Pharmacy’s French robot ‘Mac’ is an automated solution for producing compliance aids for MDS customers. Bernadette invested in this solution in 2015 and it has helped streamline MDS production freeing up the team to focus on customers.
‘Mac’ produces pouches rather than trays which are an alternative but very popular MDS solution. For some pharmacies in Scotland this has reduced the time spent on MDS filling by 80 per cent. ‘Mac’ is a small robot, so small the MDS production all takes place in a former consultation room.
>
Pouches are a great way of organising medication to be dispensed to a customer. All the medicine for a particular administration time is sealed in a small pouch and this is printed with all the details the customer needs. The pouches are on a roll in chronological order and they are very easy to open. Customers are delighted as they are small and discreet.
Cadham Pharmacy – the face of community pharmacy for the 21st century 12 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56
