First the vMAR system receives a patient’s prescription in a pharmacy, before filling and checking multi-medication adherence packs – processing up to 40 sealed and audited cards per hour.

The cards show coloured stickers with the medicine types, dosages and administration times.

The pharmacy staff send these packs to the care home, the staff of which scan a barcode on each one to register its arrival.

When administering the medicine, care home staff scan another barcode on the blister pack to ensure the right patient receives the right medicine at the right time.

The vMAR system gives “complete traceability” throughout the process, reducing the risk of error and freeing up time for pharmacy staff, Omnicell said.

The system combines two existing automated Omnicell products, VBM – which processes multi-medication adherence packs for pharmacies – and eMAR, which assists medicine administration in care homes.

Pharmacies using vMAR will have the opportunity to “expand their service to more care homes”, the manufacturer said.

The system is being piloted in London by the Pearl Chemist Group and South Park Residential Homes, Omnicell said.

Pearl Chemist superintendent pharmacist Mayank Patel said: “Our staff no longer have to spend hours filling and checking medication adherence packs, they are free to spend more time delivering face-to-face patient care.”

For more information, contact 0161 4135333 or visit the Omnicell website