Our patients will get the medicines they need faster after the Pharmacy department at Queen’s Hospital installed two new robot dispensers – the BD Rowa Vmax.

The robots - named Elizabeth and Victoria after two of our most famous queens in honour of being based at Queen’s Hospital – pick and place medicines onto a conveyor belt.

Once a dispenser requests a certain medicine, the robots send it directly to them. The dispenser would then label, and double check it against the prescription before it is given to the patient.

The robots, which were named following a staff vote, are an upgrade to our previous system, delivering medicines much faster and more efficiently than before.

Demi Griggs, a dispensing assistant, says they have changed her job.

She said:

It’s faster and it means we’re able to get medication to patients quicker. It’s sped up the whole process.

Later this year we’ll also be introducing electronic prescribing, which will mean our pharmacy team can request medication from anywhere in the hospital, rather than going to collect paper prescriptions on our wards.

Michael Dixie, Chief Pharmacy Technician, said:

This is a brilliant investment for our Trust.

Staff are fully trained on the new system, which means patients get the benefit of faster medication immediately.