Prescription automation covers more than a dispensing robot. Follow a prescription from dispensing to collection and see which steps can be automated.
Welcome to the AcornRx pharmacy technology blog, where we cover what’s actually changing on the ground in UK pharmacy automation. Rather than abstract industry commentary, you’ll find write-ups on real installations, practical comparisons between dispensing systems, and updates on the automation trends shaping how pharmacies handle rising prescription volumes.
Because the pressures on community pharmacy are constantly shifting — from staffing shortages to growing dispensing volumes — we try to keep this blog grounded in what pharmacies are actually dealing with day to day, not just product announcements.
New here? Start with our guide to pharmacy automation in the UK, which links to every area we cover.
What you’ll find on this blog
- Installation stories — real examples of automation going into working pharmacies, like our recent write-up on a pack dispensing robot installed at McKay Pharmacy
- Industry context — pieces looking at how pharmacy automation has evolved and where it’s likely heading next
- Practical guides — coverage of specific automation types, such as prescription collection systems and 24/7 prescription collection
Why we write this
As dispensing volumes across the sector keep climbing, pharmacies are having to make sharper decisions about where automation actually pays off — an issue the wider pharmacy press has covered extensively. This blog is where we try to make that decision easier by sharing what we’re seeing work in practice.
Automated Pharmacy Solutions: How to Choose the Right Option
Dispensing robots, MDS packing, collection kiosks, prescription software and secure cabinets solve different problems. Here is how to match the solution to the problem.
How Can Pharmacy Automation Improve Stock Management?
Stock control takes constant attention. See how original pack robots, automatic loading, secure cabinets and prescription tracking can make pharmacy stock management easier.
How Can Pharmacy Automation Create More Time for Patient Care?
Where does pharmacy time go, and how can dispensing, MDS, collection and storage automation give some of it back for patient care?
MedLocker vs Traditional Prescription Collection: What’s the Difference?
How MedLocker's 24/7 self-service collection compares with traditional counter collection on hours, staff time, patient certainty, security and space, and how to decide which suits your pharmacy.
What Is Scan-to-Shelf in Pharmacy? A Guide for UK Pharmacies
Pharmacy teams spend a significant amount of time managing prescriptions after they have been dispensed. Once a prescription has been prepared and checked, it still needs to be stored correctly, located when the patient arrives and recorded as collected. In a busy pharmacy, where hundreds of prescriptions may move through the dispensary each day, these...
Where Should You Start With Pharmacy Automation?
There are now more automation options available to pharmacies than ever before. From robotic dispensing and automated medication storage to digital prescription management, MDS packaging and prescription collection, technology can support many different parts of the pharmacy workflow. But having more options does not necessarily make the decision easier. A pharmacy might know that it...
What Can You Automate in a Pharmacy? A Guide for UK Pharmacies
When people hear the term pharmacy automation, it is easy to picture a dispensing robot working behind the scenes. While robotic dispensing is an important part of the technology now available to pharmacies, automation can mean much more than a machine selecting and dispensing medication. A recent example from a pharmacy in Leeds demonstrates this...
How MDS Automation Can Make Pharmacy More Efficient
Monitored dosage systems (MDS) can play an important role in helping some patients manage their medicines. For pharmacies providing the service, however, preparing those packs can involve a significant amount of repetitive work. Each patient’s medication needs to be reviewed, selected, organised and packaged correctly, with the finished MDS checked before it reaches the patient...
What Should Pharmacies Consider Before Investing in a Dispensing Robot?
For pharmacies considering automation, the first question is often about speed. How quickly can a system dispense a prescription? How many packs can it handle? How much faster could the pharmacy process medication? These are useful questions, but they are only part of the decision. A dispensing robot does not operate in isolation. It becomes...
How Dispensing Automation Can Create More Capacity in Your Pharmacy
As pharmacy teams take on more responsibility, automation can help reduce repetitive workload, improve workflow and create more time for patient care. Pharmacy teams are being asked to do more than ever. Dispensing prescriptions remains at the heart of community pharmacy, but pharmacies are also delivering clinical services, supporting Pharmacy First, providing vaccinations, managing deliveries...
What Is Original Pack Dispensing? A Guide for UK Pharmacies
What is original pack dispensing? Not every pharmacy automation system repackages medication. Original pack dispensing (OPD) robots do the opposite: they store medicines exactly as the manufacturer packaged them, then retrieve the correct box the moment a prescription is processed. There’s no repackaging step at all — the robot simply knows where every pack is...