Antibiotic dispensing robot hailed as 'ground-breaking'
A new robotic machine which allows patients to collect urgent medication when local pharmacies are closed has been hailed as ground-breaking. The REMEDY machine, described as the first of its kind in Europe, will be trialled in Dolgellau, Gwynedd, where locals face 50 mile (80km) journeys to access pharmacies which stay open overnight or on Sundays. People who contact NHS 111 out-of-hours and require medication urgently will be given the option of collecting their prescriptions from the machine, which is positioned outside Dolgellau Hospital. "This is ground-breaking technology, using it for this purpose has never been done in Europe. This is world-leading," said Dr Rebecca Payne, a GP involved in the trial. Dr Payne co-led the study to develop the trial alongside Prof Dyfrig Hughes, from Bangor University. "[The machine] is developed to issue medication after a teleconsultation," said Dr Payne. "We know that 70% of people who call 111 are...