The Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge installed Clematis 7 to manage the distribution of dietary supplements to patients on 54 wards.

Dietary supplements had for some years been stored on open shelving in a corridor close to the kitchens. This arrangement had grown piecemeal as the department had expanded and was necessitated by lack of space and the need for at least 50 staff to have regular access to supplements - 30 in the dietary department itself plus catering and ward personnel.

The existing arrangements had a number of drawbacks, the most important of which was lack of security. Dietary supplements are prescribed items so giving the wrong product to the wrong patient is not a minor issue. The old system relied on ward staff recording items taken in a notebook, which inevitably lead to inaccuracy and a lack of accountability as there were no proper records and control.

After looking at a number of alternatives the department decided to install Green Valet's Clematis system linked into a system storage cages. The system consists of 6 individually lockable, caged shelving units.

Access to the computer locked, automatic doors is controlled from a single wall mounted Clematis keyboard. Staff are issued with a PIN number. The items and quantities required are requested through the keyboard which then automatically opens the appropriate cage, giving access to the requested supplements.

With the large numbers of staff from different departments requiring access, it was realised early in the planning stage that staff training would be essential for a smooth introduction. However, users found the new setup easy to adapt to after a single training session: “Most people who attended the training found it no problem moving to the new system.” said Elaine Corden, Chief Renal Dietician, who was responsible for introducing the secure distribution system. “It was just when some wards realised they could not get to the supplements as they had not turned up for the training that they started to shout!”

The new cages provide up to 40 meters of shelving space. This is significantly more than the old open shelving which occupied the same amount of floor space. The supplements themselves are now much better organised: each has a dedicated cage and clearly marked shelf area.

Clematis 7 provides a detailed set of reports of who has taken what and when. This is used to provide data for accurate internal recharging: “We can now see how much each ward is taking and whether this tallies with what is being prescribed.” says as Elaine Corden “It is much easier dealing with stock control and ordering too.” Overall the installation has lead to a remarkable transformation of the efficiency of operations.

If you need to improve the efficiency of your stock distribution and handling call Green Valet now on 01920 463 098.