Pharmacy automation

Community pharmacists have ‘professional obligation’ to adopt automated dispensing, says chief pharmaceutical officer

Community pharmacists have a professional obligation to adopt automated dispensing processes, according to England’s chief pharmaceutical officer Keith Ridge.…

Petition against community pharmacy cuts close to 13,000 signatures

The government has responded to an online petition protesting against the proposed cuts to England’s community pharmacy contract. By 26 January 2016, the petition had attracted 12,940 signatures.…

Review of 2015: ten developments that are changing pharmacy

The pharmacy landscape continues to shift amid a backdrop of austere UK public spending and the rising spectre of centralised dispensing in the community. The Pharmaceutical Journal presents ten developments that affected pharmacists in 2015.…

Hospital medication errors halved by automated system

Danish study shows medication errors on hospital ward fell by 57% following introduction of automated system.…

Unit-dose drug system frees up nurses and ‘removes potential for error’

The introduction of a unit-dose medicines packing, distribution and administration system at University Hospital of Leicester has streamlined the work of nurses on the renal wards, according to senior nurses at the hospital.…

2015 RPS award winners announced

The winners of this year’s Royal Pharmaceutical Society Awards were revealed at the annual conference in Birmingham on 13 September 2015.…

One-stop dispensing has had its day — time to embrace technology

Hospitals should explore the use of technology to help streamline the inpatient medicine supply process for the benefit of patients and staff.…

It shouldn’t be up to pharmacists to check prescription eligibility

Expecting pharmacists to enforce the collection of prescription charges cannot be considered a professional duty.…

How technology can assist with delivery of pharmaceutical care

Clinical pharmacists at the Countess of Chester Hospital are exploring new ways of using technology to improve how they manage the pharmaceutical needs of patients. Here, they share their experience…

Implementing an automated dispensing system

Wirral Hospital NHS Trust recently won an award for an evaluation of a new automated dispensing system at the trust’s pharmacy (PJ, 23 March, p388). In this article, pharmacists from the trust describe the introduction of the automated dispensing system and its impact on staffing requirements, pre…