Drugs robot begins serving at Inverness store
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An Inverness pharmacy has begun dispensing customer prescriptions on a 24-hour-a-day basis – using a “robot”.
The Dalneigh outlet is the first in Scotland outside the central belt and Fife to offer the ATM-style service, which is aimed at helping time-pressed customers avoid queues and wasted journeys.
Plans to install the automated “pharmaself robot” technology at the Laurel Avenue store initially drew some local opposition, with concerns voiced about possible antisocial behaviour.
However, owner and head pharmacist James Higgins, was able to offer assurances to planning officials on how successfully similar installations had operated in places like Glasgow, Stirling and Glenrothes.
Mr Higgins, who has just opened his independent pharmacy’s second outlet, at Tornagrain village, is delighted with the early public reaction to his pharma robot.
It was installed at Dalneigh Pharmacy on October 19 with the outlet’s shop front revamped.
“I can understand why there were some misgivings at first because it is completely new to this area,” said Mr Higgins.
“There are some of these in the central belt, but nothing up here,” he stressed.
“I did a fair bit of research with the guys who operate them in places like Glenrothes, Glasgow and Stirling, and also spoke to the UK-wide manufacturers who were able to give us some helpful statistics.
“People have the idea of a pharmacy being open to the street 24/7 and it seems crazy at first.
“The reality is very different. It is only if you’re registered to that service and receive your own specific pin code for that specific pick-up that you can access it.
“It works very well and it is very secure.”
Customers have so far highlighted benefits, including the convenience of being able to visit outside normal working hours.
“It is a contactless system, so even for Covid-19 reasons it can be helpful and there is the added security of a pin number being sent for every prescription,” Mr Higgins said.
“Once that pin is sent, the customer knows for certain the prescription is ready and there’s no queue, wasted journey or waiting around to be told it isn’t at hand yet. It eliminates all that.”
Opened in 2016, Dalneigh Pharmacy has attracted steadily growing customer numbers, with Mr Higgins expecting the pharma robot to add to that.
“The actual posters with instructions for use have only really been up since a week past Friday, but people have been curious.
“The feedback on social media has been positive, with people saying how easy they find it to use, and with word of mouth it has started to take off.”
