An Essex-based independent pharmacy is using artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to manage services as demand from patients grows.
Cross Chemist in Benfleet, Essex, has automated their dispensing process with the aid of a robotic device in its stock room, BBC reports.
The robot uses barcode recognition to identify an item and sends it down a chute to waiting staff.
It uses AI to automatically prioritise medication with the shortest expiry date.
This helps them dispense 11,000 medications a month, freeing up more time for staff for consultations and they daily see about 30 patients.
However, the pharmacist, Hema Patel, said the sector was "on its knees with funding," and more financial help was needed to stay afloat and provide more services.
Cross Chemist has three more outlets, but it cannot afford to automate them, hence they chose Benfleet as it was the busiest.
She said that pharmacies need more funding to remain viable in the long term.
Hema noted that business rates, minimum wage, national insurance contributions, and electricity prices are going up.
The drug costs have also risen, but the reimbursement has not kept up with the increase.
Pharmacies were awarded a 19 per cent increase in funding in April, but it has failed to fill the gap left by the cuts over the previous decade.
A NHS-commissioned analysis had estimated that the government funding for pharmacies fell £2.6 billion short of the cost of providing NHS services.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) had recently warned that an increase in business rates would push many pharmacies to the brink of collapse.
Regarding the hike in minimum wages, the NPA has estimated that pharmacies in England will face at least £275 million in additional costs in 2026 due to inflation and a rise in wages.
