Innovation in hospital pharmacy: the new RIEDL Phasys robot at MCHT

Case Study

Mid Cheshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has upgraded its pharmacy by installing the RIEDL Phasys robot from GPI, an advanced solution that replaced the old automated system, improving efficiency, safety, and service continuity.

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The client

Mid Cheshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (MCHT) is a hospital in North-West England, specializing in emergency management and critical phases of illnesses, with 600 beds.

 

The hospital pharmacy manages a high volume of activity daily: approximately 1,500 patient prescriptions, 800 items for ward stock, and 25 supply deliveries.

The challenges

The pharmacy already used an automated storage robot installed in 2008. After more than ten years of service, the system was reaching the end of its life cycle and was showing significant limitations in terms of capacity and functionality.

 

Therefore, there was a need to replace it with more modern technology. In addition to this, there were further difficulties: the limited space available for the new installation, budget constraints, stringent IT regulations, and the need to keep the department operational at all times. All compounded by the complexities of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The solution

Following a public tender, GPI was awarded the contract by proposing the RIEDL Phasys robot with an automatic loading system.

 

A 12-meter system was installed with a double picking head, automated loading, and Phasys WMS software for inventory management and ward box preparation.

The benefits

The new solution has significantly improved workflows:

 

  • greater efficiency in medication loading and unloading operations;

  • increased speed and safety in prescription management;

  • space optimization and error reduction;

  • service continuity even under complex conditions.