MP Visits the Royal Chesterfield NHS Trust to See How Technology is Helping to Reduce Medication Errors and Improve Patient Safety
Local MP Toby Perkins has visited Royal Chesterfield Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, to understand more about the key role technology is playing in driving patient safety standards. The Trust has, in recent years, harnessed and invested in cutting-edge technology to manage medication administration. The automated systems reduce the risk of medication errors and free-up healthcare professionals to spend more time on face-to-face patient care.
The visit comes in the wake of a report by the Department of Health and Social Care last year which disclosed that in England 237 million mistakes occur every year at some point in the medication process1. These errors cause serious issues for patient safety, but also place a significant cost burden on an already stretched NHS.
At the MP visit, Martin Shepherd, Head of Medicines Management at Chesterfield Hospital NHS Foundation Trust demonstrated the benefit of the Trust’s decision to invest in a series of Omnicell systems which automate the administration of medication. This new approach allows Trusts to track everything back to the patient from the moment the medication is prescribed to when it is administered – ensuring patient safety.
Toby Perkins MP commented: “It is great to hear the benefits that this service has brought to patient safety and the extent to which it allows more time and space for nurses to dedicate to care. It is a substantial investment that Chesterfield Royal Hospital have made and was ahead of its time when the first machine was installed. I am pleased to learn that there are plans for these to be rolled out right across the hospital over the coming years. The rising costs and demand of medicines are key financial pressures on the NHS and anything that reduces costs, wastage and erroneous dispensary, as this system does, is to be welcomed. The pharmacy department has won awards previously and whilst it may be a less high profile department than some it is crucial to the overall success of the hospital.”
Paul O’Hanlon, Managing Director of Omnicell UK & Ireland, who facilitated the visit commented; “It’s great to see that Toby is here today to see at first-hand how important it is to invest in new technology. Medicine and nursing is a safety critical industry – behind every statistic is someone’s life, it is always someone’s son, someone’s father, someone’s daughter.”
