Kate Hoey MP opens new and improved Inpatient Pharmacy at St Thomas' Hospital

Wednesday 8 November 2017


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The opening of a state-of-the-art Inpatient Pharmacy at St Thomas’ Hospital was celebrated last week (Wednesday 1 November) with a visit from local MP Kate Hoey.

The Inpatient Pharmacy at St Thomas’ Hospital has undergone an extensive transformation to help maximise efficiency and space. As part of the redesign a new cutting-edge robot, capable of both storing large quantities of medicine and dispensing them accurately, was installed. This has allowed pharmacy functions that historically took place over two floors to take place over one, and a new open plan office environment to be built on the lower ground floor for staff, giving them more space and resources.

During the launch event Kate Hoey, Member of Parliament for Vauxhall, was given a tour of the new facility. She said: “I’ve been the local MP for St Thomas’ Hospital for 28 years, and I am delighted to see the launch of this new Inpatient Pharmacy for patients in my constituency.

“I remember when the first pharmacy robot was installed at St Thomas several years ago, and the new robot in the revamped Inpatient Pharmacy is another example of Guy’s and St Thomas’ using the latest technological innovations to continue putting patients first.”

The redevelopment of the Inpatient Pharmacy has led to several benefits including a reduced processing time for medicines. This has meant that patients waiting for their medicine before they can be discharged can go home sooner, leading to an overall better patient experience.

Additionally, staff no longer need to move medicines between several areas of the hospital thanks to the more efficient storage system, saving time and resources.

Sir Hugh Taylor, Chairman of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The redevelopment of the Inpatient Pharmacy at St Thomas’ reinforces our commitment to ensure our patients have the best experience possible at Guy’s and St Thomas’. I’ve been a patient at St Thomas’ myself, and know first-hand just how important it is to both our staff and patients that medicines are administered in a timely and efficient manner, especially when patients are discharged. This new Inpatient Pharmacy will go a long way to making sure we continue to deliver in this respect.”

Tim Hanlon, Chief Pharmacist at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said: “I am very proud and honoured to have overseen the launch of our new Inpatient Pharmacy to help deliver medicines to our patients in a more efficient and effective way.

“I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude and thanks to staff, including the Trust Board for funding this capital development, and the whole pharmacy team for maintaining their high level of work throughout this process. The development of the Inpatient Pharmacy involved several teams across the hospital working together, and in such a huge hospital that is no small task.”

Last updated: March 2022

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