Adapting FLOWRx technology to meet the needs of care home pharmacies.

FLOWRx technology is already transforming the dispensing process for community pharmacy. Now we’ve adapted this award-winning technology to meet the needs of pharmacies delivering a care home service. Aisling McBride, Customer Solutions Specialist at Centred Solutions, talks through how it works.

Pharmacists providing care home services are faced with many more challenges when it comes to dispensing. This is because of the complex needs of patients and the types and volume of medication they require. We’ve adapted our FLOWRx software and technology so it can meet these needs. The solution automates the dispensing process to produce bagged and labelled patient medication by care home, institution or facility type. The software integrates with a pharmacy’s PMR to process orders in the most efficient way, separating orders into bespoke workflows. Here’s how it works.

Our Standard FLOWRx Dispensing Workflow

A lot of the medication will be able to be processed in the standard way the FLOWRx Hub system is designed for. For these items, the software and technology will use the typical hub dispensing process as follows:

1. The clinical and accuracy check is done online in the PMR at the start of the process by the pharmacist and the order is sent to the FLOWRx software.
2. Medication is then batch-picked into FLOW Totes. An automatic labelling unit (ALU) will automatically apply labels to packs for which there are matching patient orders.
3. RFID LED smart shelves guide the operator to sort the right medication into patient specific baskets.
4. The bagging of medication is automated and barcode technology is used to sort medication into totes for the relevant care home.

Splits Pack Workflow

While the work involved in processing splits is set to improve in community pharmacy with the new 10% legislation change, it is still unclear how this will impact care homes. As such, it remains a possibility that split packs will continue to be a challenge for pharmacies providing care home services.

The FLOWRx solution offers two options to process split packs more efficiently. The first is the staged splits process:

1. A pick sheet will be created for all the split pack medication required to fulfill a care home order. The operator picks all medication required and scans the first box. They are notified of the number of pills required for that patient box.
2. The software prints a pack label for splits with the new quantity, drug type, strength, batch number and expiry date. The label will also include a barcode so the split pack can be processed through the ALU.
3. With the remaining medication in the original pack, the software prompts the operator to fulfill another patient order. Once all the orders requiring that medication have been fulfilled, the software prints a new pack label detailing how many tablets remain so the pack can be placed back on the shelves and used again at a later stage.
4. The Pharmacist or ACT checks the quantity of the prepared splits packs and places them with full pack medication required for the order. Packs are then labelled, sorted and bagged using the ALU as per the standard workflow process.

The second option is to use the in line splits workflow which allows for the processing of splits that can’t be done in advance, for example if the stock is not available or it is an acute medication.

1. The pick list instructs the operator to process the full pack of medication through the ALU and the software knows not to label this pack.
2. Once the pack has been through the ALU, the operator scans the pack barcode label and the software notifies them that it is a split pack and informs them of the quantity required.
3. The operator removes the required amount for the new box and the software provides a pack label with the new quantity, drug type, strength, batch no. and expiry date. It also includes a unique barcode which is then scanned by the operator to print the patient label.
4. The operator scans the patient label and sorts the pack to the relevant patient basket which is placed into quarantine for a final pharmacist check.

Bulky Items

The software will identify bulky items when an order is placed and create a separate picklist so these items can be processed outside the ALU but with all the other benefits of the FLOWRx solution. The workflows have been developed to let the hub label these items in one of two ways:

1. Automatically print all the patient labels required for a large quantity of the same item for one patient but with the requirement to only scan one patient label, saving time.
2. Pre-define the label so the operator can package the item/items the way the hub prefers. This is useful for items like dressings.

Inner Labelling

Items that require inner labelling can still be processed through the ALU.

1. A patient label is added to the outer item in the ALU.
2. When the operator scans that patient label to sort the item, the software will flag that an inner label is required for that item and print it.
3. The operator adds the label to the inner item and sorts it to the correct patient basket.

Firdge Items/Controlled Drugs

New functionality is in development for fridge items and controlled drugs. This will enable the software to identify any fridge items or controlled drugs in an order. The system will then print a separate pick list so these items can be processed in one go in advance and then quickly returned to either the fridge or CD cabinet, labelled and ready for dispensing.

If you are interested in learning more take a look at our new white paper, Care Home Hub Automation: How to grow a pharmacy care home service and simplify dispensing.

Pharmacy Automation Technology By Centred Solutions

At Centred Solutions, our mission is to lighten the workload and increase productivity for our pharmacy partners. Our team of experienced customer success managers, experts in pharmacy, technology, and logistics, will guide you through every step of your FLOWRx journey.

Whether you're aiming to streamline operations by receiving medications directly from wholesalers or need assistance in establishing your own hub, we have the perfect solution for you.

Get in touch with us today to schedule a demonstration of any of our products.