Our Outpatient Pharmacy Team is about to relocate to a new, fully registered pharmacy space. The new space will open up the potential for the pharmacy service to expand in the future and take on more work. Crucially the move also supports an innovative clinical service which is being developed by Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust (CNTW) which improves patient access to life changing medicine.

Since 2018 the NTW Solutions Outpatient Pharmacy has been located next to the CNTW Pharmacy Department at St Nicholas Hospital and space is at a real premium. In recent years the Outpatient Pharmacy has expanded its reach into North Cumbria. The team are now looking at further opportunities to grow the service and this move will give the team space to do that.

A crucial benefit of the move is that the team can support a new CNTW clinical service. That service is moving in at the same time and will be located next door and joint working with the Outpatient Pharmacy is crucial. The service is the only one of its kind in the North East of England and the relocation of the Outpatient Pharmacy is a fundamental part of enabling that team to operate.

The move has been a huge logistical challenge, despite being located a few hundred meters away from the original base and is a credit to all involved. Our Estates Teams have worked through a busy schedule ensuring all aspects meet the exacting standards needed in a pharmacy environment. One of the main challenges is to move DEIDRE who is our high-tech dispensing robot. The robot needs to be carefully moved centimetre by centimetre by an expert team through the corridors of St Nicholas Hospital and along the driveway.

It is a complex project which gives the space for service growth, as well as supporting better care for the clinical teams and patients they serve.