The Building Blocks of Medication Visibility
The NHS’s Medication Management Challenge
The NHS is undergoing a significant transformation to become a health service fit for the future. The 2025 NHS 10 Year Health Plan outlines a vision to create a modern health service designed to meet the changing needs of the population. Central to this vision are three major shifts:
- From hospital to community: More care will be available on people’s doorsteps and in their homes.
- From analogue to digital: New technology will liberate staff from administrative tasks and allow people to manage their care as easily as they bank or shop online.
- From sickness to prevention: The NHS will focus on preventing illness and promoting health GOV.UK.
These shifts aim to address the challenges facing the NHS, including rising demand, workforce pressures, and the need for greater efficiency. Medication management plays a crucial role in this transformation, as safe and efficient medication practices are essential for delivering high-quality care.
As these strategic shifts take hold, hospitals remain a focal point for care delivery making it critical to embed the digital transformation envisioned by the NHS, starting with medication visibility as a foundation for safer, more efficient care.
What is Medication Visibility and Why it Matters
Medication visibility refers to the ability to track and monitor medicines from procurement, storage, and dispensing to administration. Achieving true visibility enables hospitals to:
- Enhance patient safety: Real-time tracking reduces errors and adverse events.
- Optimise inventory: Accurate, up-to-date stock levels prevent shortages and overstocking.
- Ensure regulatory compliance: Automated systems provide auditable records for inspections.
- Increase operational efficiency: Streamlined workflows free clinical staff to focus on patient care.
Without visibility, hospitals risk medication errors, wasted resources, and reduced patient satisfaction. Achieving end-to-end visibility is the foundation for building a connected pharmacy ecosystem.
Omnicell XT Cabinets: Automating Medication Storage and Dispensing
The Omnicell XT Automated Dispensing Cabinet (ADC) provides hospitals with a secure, automated solution for medication management. Key features include:
- Secure, controlled access: Only authorised staff can retrieve medications, reducing the risk of diversion or errors.
- Automated dispensing logic: Medications are dispensed accurately based on patient prescriptions, reducing human error.
- Real-time inventory tracking: Stock levels and usage data are updated immediately, enabling better planning.
- Integration with hospital systems: XT Cabinets connect seamlessly to electronic prescribing and MedXpert, enabling data-driven insights across the hospital.
XT Cabinets support clinical workflows by streamlining medication rounds, improving safety, and providing the data foundation for predictive analytics.
AMis Pro Smart Cart: Enhancing Medication Delivery at the Point of Care
The AMis Pro Smart Cart complements XT Cabinets by enabling efficient medication delivery at the bedside. Unlike traditional trolleys, the AMis Pro Smart Cart integrates automation, security, and connectivity:
- Mobile medication storage: Clinicians can bring medications directly to the patient, reducing retrieval times and improving care efficiency.
- Barcode scanning and verification: Confirms the right medication reaches the right patient at the right time.
- Real-time data capture: Updates patient medication records immediately, supporting accurate reporting and compliance.
- User-friendly interface: Minimises training needs and simplifies ward workflows.
By linking AMis Pro Smart Carts with XT Cabinets, hospitals create a cohesive, connected system that delivers visibility and safety at the point of care.
MedXpert: Turning Data into Actionable Insights
While XT Cabinets and AMis Pro Smart Carts generate the raw data, MedXpert is the intelligence layer that transforms it into actionable insights. Benefits include:
- Predictive analytics: Anticipates ward-level demand, allowing proactive stock management.
- Trend and usage analysis: Identifies patterns in medication consumption to support decision-making.
- Compliance monitoring: Tracks adherence to protocols and regulatory requirements. MedXpert also supports full chain of custody for patient-owned medications and take-home meds, ensuring traceability and compliance throughout the process.
- Performance reporting: Provides KPIs for medication safety, efficiency, and waste reduction.
Together, these tools enable hospitals to move from reactive management to data-driven, predictive decision-making, improving outcomes and optimising resource allocation.
Integration and the Foundation for a Connected Pharmacy
Automation at the ward level is the first step toward a fully connected hospital. XT Cabinets and AMis Pro Smart Carts create the data foundation, while MedXpert enables analytics and visibility.
With this foundation:
- Pharmacy teams can monitor stock levels across wards.
- Trust leaders gain insights into medicine usage trends.
- Clinical staff benefit from safer, more efficient medication rounds.
This groundwork prepares hospitals for the next phase: linking ward-level systems to the central pharmacy, creating a true end-to-end, connected ecosystem.
Supporting NHS Goals
Omnicell solutions align with several NHS strategies:
- Medicines Optimisation Opportunities GOV.UK
- Operational Planning and Delivery Guidance 2024/25 NHS England
- Digital Maturity Assessment Framework NHS England
They support safe, efficient, and patient-focused medication management, helping NHS Trusts meet regulatory standards while improving staff and patient experiences.
Conclusion
Implementing XT Cabinets and AMis Pro Smart Carts, together with MedXpert analytics, lays the foundation for a connected pharmacy. Hospitals gain visibility, safety, and operational efficiency at the ward level, preparing for system-wide integration in future phases.
By taking this first step, NHS Trusts are embracing digital transformation, setting the stage for predictive, data-driven medication management that benefits patients, staff, and the organisation.
Sources
- NHS England — Medicines Optimisation Opportunities 2022/23
- NHS England — Operational Planning and Delivery Guidance 2024/25
- NHS Digital — Digital Maturity Assessment
- UCL School of Pharmacy — Evaluation of the Scale, Causes and Costs of Waste Medicines
- Health Foundation — The Future of Pharmacy in the NHS (2023)
