New iSOFT Group Limited (ASX:ISF) System at Macclesfield Gets Pharmacy Robot Talking

London, Nov 1, 2010 AEST (ABN Newswire) - iSOFT Group Limited (ASX:ISF) said today that its latest pharmacy system is helping Macclesfield District Hospital further reduce dispensing errors, increase efficiency and free the department's 60 staff for more direct patient care.

The new version features a bi-directional interface to the hospital's Mach 4 robotic dispensing system so that it now updates the iSOFT pharmacy system automatically once medicines are loaded or dispensed, which improves stock control and reduces stock discrepancies.

It has cut the time to check-in new deliveries, which previously involved checking every drug pack individually. Now, packs are loaded on to the robot's conveyor and scanned, sorted and stored automatically. The robot updates the iSOFT system so that deliveries are reconciled against purchase orders automatically.

Drug packs dispensed by the robot are also easier to find, so again saves times. A report sent to the iSOFT system tells staff in which chute drugs have been dispensed and whether the order has been fulfilled. This saves staff having to search for packs and so helps to process prescriptions faster and minimise delays for patients. An average 1,200 packs are dispensed daily.

With both databases now synchronised there are no longer any stock discrepancies or need for time-consuming stock-takes. And less time is spent keeping product information and stock levels up to date, which improves stock control.

A new workflow monitor is helping pharmacy staff prioritise dispensing, based on the prescription type and urgency, and so offer a better service to patients. It also helps the pharmacy monitor performance against key trust targets and frees pharmacy staff for more ward-based work, which will relieve pressure on nurses. Around 40% of nursing time is spent administering and managing patient medications.

"The addition of a bi-directional interface is a significant advance for iSOFT's pharmacy solution," said Adrian Stevens, Managing Director of iSOFT's UK and Ireland business. "Robotic dispensing systems and pharmacy applications are commonplace. Two-way communication is not, with very few hospitals having this vital facility. This breakthrough will also be of huge interest to pharmacy customers elsewhere, including Australia."

Under a contract with East Cheshire NHS Trust, iSOFT Pharmacy was first installed at Macclesfield in 2006 to coincide with the introduction of the robotic dispensing system, which can store up to 18,000 drug packs.

Contact

Brian Hemming Corporate PR Manager iSOFT Group Limited Tel: +44-1295-274240 Mob: +44-7748-920528 Email: brian.hemming@isofthealth.com http://www.isofthealth.com