A NEW automated prescription collection machine is set to be installed outside an Irvine pharmacy.

Customers at Lawthorn Pharmacy will be able to simply enter a PIN to collect their drugs and it would be dispensed from a slot..

Shift workers would be able to collect prescriptions at more convenient times including Sundays – with pharmacy staff time to be more free to spend with patients.

We previously reported how Firm Willow Health Care has applied for planning permission to launch the idea locally in Lawthorn.

And the plans were fully approved subject to no conditions earlier in the month.

Staff will load the prescriptions into the machine and people could pick them up 24 hours a day at the chemist in Cardow Crescent with some machines installed in parts of the UK and Europe.

Company Plande lodged a design statement with North Ayrshire Council outlining details of the plan.

The document said the machine could hold 180 dispensing bags and would be monitored by CCTV.

Some types of drugs would not be offered through the machine according to the statement.

NAC’s report states: “The position on the front elevation adjacent to a well lit car

parking area that is overlooked by the front of the

flats above has taken security and public safety considerations.

“The design and scale is considered to be acceptable. The proposal indicates that the pharmacy is capable of being adapted to meet current and future needs of the business.

“The proposed facility would potentially benefit customers who are unable to attend the pharmacy to collect a prescription during business hours.

“There could be potential benefits to the public as a result of the proposed facility, without causing harm to the amenity of the area.

One comment on the application said: “I think it’s a good idea especially for people who work during normal opening hours.”