The Medicine Chest outpatient pharmacy moves into new and improved home
Our Children’s Hospital Outpatient Pharmacy, The Medicine Chest, has now moved into the new Loveday
Street Clinical building offering improved facilities for patients, families and colleagues.
The busy pharmacy, which dispenses around 5,500 specialist medicines each month, is now situated on the ground floor of our new build near to our Emergency Department and can be accessed via the entrance off Steelhouse Lane. Clear signage is in place on our site to direct people to the new location.
The new Medicine Chest will improve the experiences for all those visiting. It boasts a larger child-friendly waiting area and comfortable seating. Along with a bespoke prescription collection locker kindly funded by our Charity, that in the future, will offer more convenience to families with completed prescriptions being able to be collected 24 hours a day.
In addition, it’s also home to a new and improved hi-tech automated dispensing robot that supports our team, improves patient safety and streamlines workflows. This can now be watched ‘in action’ from a viewing window in the waiting area.
Each prescription is checked by a specialist Paediatric Pharmacist before being dispensed by one of our technicians and our robot. All medicines are then given a final check ahead of being handed out to our patients and families, with advice on how to safely store and administer the medications to ensure the patient gets the best possible result from their treatment.
Hash Shah, Principal Pharmacist, said: “This project has been a truly collaborative effort, with multiple teams working seamlessly over several years to bring a shared vision into reality. It represents a significant milestone for our organisation and a very exciting step forward for our patients, families, and the dedicated pharmacy teams who support them every day.
“Importantly, this is not just a relocation, it is a purpose-designed pharmacy - built around the specific needs of our paediatric population.
“The environment has been carefully designed to reduce anxiety through bespoke furniture and environment, improve accessibility by offering translated medication labels and accessible pharmacy design alongside the 24-hour prescription collection locker and streamline the final, and often most critical step, of a child’s care journey by using innovative digital solutions like the new automated dispensing robot and electronic medicine systems to improve accuracy and patient safety.”
The new pharmacy has been designed with the future firmly in mind, aligning with the NHS 10-Year Plan by enabling more digital, efficient and patient-centred models of care.
Hash added: “This investment allows us to work smarter, improve safety and flow and create capacity to innovate - ultimately delivering a better experience and better outcomes for the children and families we serve, both now and for years to come.”
Our Medicine Chest opening hours remain the same. Mondays 9.30am to 6pm and Tuesdays to Fridays, 9am to 6pm.
Specialist staff can answer any questions you may have and are able to give confidential advice about your child’s medicines.