New robots transform medicine distribution in Welsh hospital

A hospital’s pharmacy has received two state-of-the-art dispensing machines able to store and pick 60,000 medicine packs named collectively as ‘Lady Rhondda’.

The machines at the Pharmacy department at the Royal Gwent Hospital (RGH) are part of a departmental upgrade project which has been ongoing for the last year.

The existing 20-year old Pharmacy robots were replaced with Lady Rhondda, named after the local historical figure, Margaret Haig Thomas, known for her pioneering spirit in Newport, a fitting tribute to the innovation of the new machines.

Automation

Lady Rhondda will allow the service to take advantage of the benefits of technology and automation to improve access and distribution of medicines across the Health Board.

The RGH Pharmacy robots store up to 60,000 medicine packs that are needed across all Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) hospital wards, clinics and departments. Each machine is fitted with dual picking heads, are capable of multitasking, picking and moving stock simultaneously which significantly speeds up medicine dispensing.

On average, the RGH systems process between 3,000 to 5,000 packs a day. By automating these tasks, the team can work more efficiently and safely, reducing manual handling and minimising the risk of error.

Lisa Forey, Head of Pharmacy Operational Services said: “The robotic dispensing system is really paramount for our service. We’re able to pick our stock ward boxes a lot, lot quicker.

“We can make use of the automation to mean that our staff can go back to being at the patient bedside, back to their counselling elements, and providing patient care to the best of our ability.”

While it’s easy to overlook how medicines reach patients, the robotic dispensing system plays a central role in ensuring that stock is delivered safely and on time to clinical areas. It allows for consistent, reliable supply of medication forming a vital component of patient care.

Medicines

The RGH site is the main Pharmacy hub, delivering medicines to all South Gwent hospitals and sites, including all wards and departments at Royal Gwent Hospital, The Grange University Hospital and Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr.

During the upgrade, the entire department was temporarily relocated, requiring staff to revert to a fully manual system. This meant handling, sorting, and distributing all medicines without the support of automation, a major logistical challenge. The team’s adaptability and teamwork ensured that service levels remained high throughout the refurbishment.

Now fully operational, the new system marks a significant improvement in how medicines are stored, picked and distributed going forward for Gwent. It also enables Pharmacy staff to spend more time in clinical areas, supporting patients and providing direct care.

Lisa continued: “I’m really proud of how the whole team has come together through the challenging times it’s been. Since the start and to its inception now, and so has been a really long time, but a great one coming and nice that we’re back home where we belong.

“The Health Board would like to thank the phenomenal efforts of the Pharmacy Teams across all sites who helped to contribute to this mammoth task, as well as to the clinical teams at ward level for adapting to this change.

“The Pharmacy Team look forward to realising the benefits of the new machines in the months to come, ultimately improving care for our patients.”