Pharmacy Plus and Psion Helping to Reduce £500m in Medication Errors
08 February 2010
Psion today announced that it is providing rugged mobile computers to Pharmacy Plus, the leading pharmacy group, in order to help the company in its bid to reduce medication errors in care homes and hospitals which are now costing the NHS as much as £500 million each year.
The Proactive Care System designed by Pharmacy Plus aims to improve control of the dispensing of medication, and uses barcode technology through Psion’s handheld, mobile device which holds complete information about the care home’s residents and their prescriptions.
Psion's Ikôn devices calculate which medicines are due to be given to residents and when and records when doses are given out. The devices, implemented as part of the Proactive Care System, allows staff to validate barcodes, check resident's photos, conduct an electronic drug register and control stock management.
An estimated 1 in 15 of all hospital admissions are caused by drug errors, causing significant concern for patient safety and costing the NHS an estimated £1bn per year¹. 70% of care home residents experience drug errors² and 50% of all care homes are falling below national minimum standards³.
The system is currently in use at five homes run by Taunton-based Somerset Care Group, and a further ten homes across the UK, all of which are evaluating the system as part of a research programme by the University of the West of England.
Paul Westmoreland, Managing Director, Psion UK, said: “This is the first of what we hope will be many deals in the health sector. It shows the versatility of our products and their many applications to help make mobile workers of all kinds, more productive. This is a serious drug management issue that Pharmacy Plus is trying to fix, and as such we’re delighted to help.”
Tariq Muhammad, Chief Executive, Pharmacy Plus, said: “Psion is one of the pioneers of mobile computing and we are delighted to be working with them to bring such a vital service to care home residents. It can make a massive different to residents and nursing staff alike and can also help to reduce the strain on the NHS caused by medication errors."
Psion products have helped numerous large organisations mobilise field sales and service, logistics, supply chain and transportation, and generally make mobile workers much more productive. We also have added confidence in selling their products because of their speed, durability and reliability.”
About Psion PLC
Psion PLC is the pioneer in quality mobile handheld computers and their application in industrial b2b markets around the world. We’ve innovated in mobile computing since 1980, helping our global customers solve their business problems, including Volkswagen, SNCF, RWE nPower, E.ON, BMW, Goodyear, Copenhagen Airports and major international transport hubs.
Our mobile devices are rugged, resilient and built to last. They are tailor-made solutions through Open Source Mobility – our open innovation philosophy in which we co-create mobile hardware, software and services, together with our customers and partners. Psion is a public company on the London Stock Exchange. It is headquartered in London with corporate offices located in Europe, North America, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East.
For more information, visit www.psionteklogix.com
About Pharmacy Plus
Pharmacy Plus is a specialist pharmaceutical service provider to Care Homes, based in Bristol and supplies over 300 homes across many parts of the UK.
Notes to editors
Inquiries about this news release should be made to:
Psion
Adam Keal or Dominic Weeks
Tel: 020 7839 4321
adam.keal@fishburn-hedges.co.uk / dominic.weeks@fishburn-hedges.co.uk
¹ Patient Safety Report - Health Committee House of Commons - June 2009
² Care Home Use of Medicines Study 2009 – (CHUMS) - commissioned by the Dept of Health
³ Handle with Care - Feb 2006 – Commission for Social Care Inspection
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