An 18-month trial at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has found that significant cost savings and efficiencies can be made by installing a revolutionary medication automation cabinet system from Omnicell.
In the wake of the Lord Carter Review, which highlights the urgent need for efficiencies and standardised savings across the NHS, the impressive results from the trial show nurse time savings of £7,000 per department; and patient safety benefits, with a 0% critical missed dose rate, and a 6% financial reduction in medicine spend per patient.
These time savings, which have been redirected into frontline patient care, are both invaluable and rewarding for nurse and patient alike
The unique partnership between Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Omnicell saw the trial of the automated storage and ordering systems in two of its general hospitals in the North East prior to the opening of the new Northumbria hospital, the first purpose-built hospital in the country to have emergency medicine consultants on site 24/7 and specialist consultants in a broad range of conditions also working seven days a week.
Following the overwhelming feedback on the system, and demand from nursing staff, a total of 24 Omnicell medication automation cabinets are now in use across emergency care, theatres and admission units at Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital.
As part of the initial trial and subsequent rollout period, Omnicell has worked alongside both the pharmacy team and clinical staff members to provide training and support. Such is the success of the project that another seven cabinets are now in use, with a new system recently installed on the oncology day unit at North Tyneside General Hospital.
Quantitative and qualitative evaluation from the extensive trial found:
- The average drug spend post automation dropped on average by 6% per patient and equated to an annual drug efficiency saving of £7,500 per year or £30,000 across the four departments
- Stock-out fell from 22% in January 2014 to 6% in February 2014, reducing nursing-led ordering, and increasing stock efficiency and availability of medicines for patients pharmacy believe that Omnicell has improved patient care and medicines management by
- Utilising patient safety features such as dispensing alerts, for example for allergy status checking, NPSA alert compliance, antibiotic stewardship etc
The rationale behind the collaboration with Omnicell was the need for the pharmacy team to address a number of issues as a result of pharmacy supplies stored in cupboards supported by manual paper recording for controlled drugs by the nursing team. These issues included; significant time wasted by nursing, medical and pharmacy staff looking for medicine cupboard keys, over reliance on human accuracy for manual ‘top-up’ ordering, inaccurate ad hoc ordering leading to the risk of stock outs, omitted doses and treatment delays, over stocking, and inadequate audit trail of medicines use.
Omnicell’s inventory management and dispensing systems allow organisations to manage and control the usage of medicines and supplies throughout the hospital or care setting. The solutions include secure closed cabinets and open scanning systems which track inventory in real time and cost product usage to patients and procedures. Unique features of the system include fingerprint access, an electron CD register enabling a keyless and paperless CD system, and a full audit trail of who took what, when and for which patient.
Each system is integrated with the trust pharmacy stock system to automatically reorder medicines, and a unique guiding light system which guides and directs the user to the medicines they require, reducing picking errors.
Steven Campbell, pharmacy technical services manager at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The development of the new site and the design of its infrastructure required a huge amount of planning, with some significant challenges in terms of the supply of medicines across such a wide geographical area.
There are numerous benefits to staff in using the system not least the fingerprint-controlled access, which increases accuracy, maximising accountability and reducing errors
“We were very fortunate to meet the team at Omnicell and be introduced to the unique product offering at the very early stage of the planning process. The response to the system by all staff has been fantastic with the benefits exceeding all our expectations.”
Paul O’Hanlon, managing director for Omnicell, UK & Ireland, added: “It’s been a privilege to work alongside the pharmacy department at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust right from the outset, giving us a unique opportunity to measure the success of the system in real time and adapt the installation to the specific needs of both the clinical and pharmacy teams. We’re delighted with the feedback and look forward to a continued partnership with the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital team to see further efficiency, safety and time savings in the near future.”
And Lauraine Gibson, matron in the emergency department and discharge lounge at Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “As with any change, there was some trepidation from staff before the installation, but I can honestly say that the Automated Medication Cabinet System was one of the easiest pieces of technology we have had to implement.
“There are numerous benefits to staff in using the system not least the fingerprint-controlled access, which increases accuracy, maximising accountability and reducing errors. However, without a doubt the greatest benefit has been seen in nurse time savings, with staff no longer wasting time searching for keys or medicines. These time savings, which have been redirected into frontline patient care, are both invaluable and rewarding for nurse and patient alike.”
