New secure drugs cabinets with high tech fingerprint security have been introduced into the Emergency Department at Eastbourne District General Hospital.
The two new drugs cabinet have all the medicines required by Emergency Department staff in a computer controlled user ID and fingerprint access security system only allowing the correct medicine required by a doctor or nurse to be dispensed. The cabinet is linked by computer to pharmacy to ensure stock levels are maintained.
Until the introduction of these new drugs cabinet Emergency Department staff have had to order all of their own medicines from the pharmacy department and then put the stock away themselves. The introduction of this new cabinet means staff no longer hunting for the key within the department to access to the drugs cabinet and pharmacy being able to keep the drugs cabinet fully stocked with all the correct up to date medicines.
Matron Neroli Yeates with the new drugs cabinet
Amy Collis Clinical Service Manager said: “This new drugs cabinets with their fingertip security pad helps staff have access to the correct medicines for patients a lot quicker than in the past. Importantly it will help free up nursing time to spend more with patients. It also has additional features to monitor and record the temperature at which we store our medicines, help to minimise any medicine errors and provide an itemised account of what drugs have been accessed and by whom.”
Simon Badcott Chief Pharmacist said: “We know this will all save a huge amount of nursing resource to free them up to care for patients, medicines will be much easier to find because when a nurse asks for a particular item a light on the cabinet will indicate where that item is and essential medicines should never run out because pharmacy will be alerted in good time.”
The Trust has thirteen of these secure drugs cabinets on wards across the Trust.