The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS FT approached Oxford Architects early in 2016 with an outline brief for a new dispensary with a pharmacy reception counter and patient waiting area. The facility would allow out-patients attending the hospital to get their prescriptions on the same day without booking a separate GP appointment and it had to be operational at the start of October 2016.

The site, in an under-used storage area at lower ground floor level, was secured in March 2016 and design work began giving just 6 months for design, tender, construction and handover.

Central to the requirements was a state of the art robotic dispensary supplied by a specialist. The design and construction programme allowed for the contractor to strip and refurbish the space, for the specialist to install the robot and the contractor to return and finish the interior.

The pharmacy reception counter incorporates acoustic panels, glazed screens and a small booth for confidential consultation. The interior design, from the nearby lift area and into the patient waiting area, uses colour, furniture and artwork to coordinate with the Trust’s wayfinding strategy.

The new dispensary opened for business on time on 3 October 2016.

• New facility to allow outpatients to get medicines on the day of their appointment
• 6 months from briefing to opening
• Integration of state of the art robotic dispensary
• Improved patient environment with coordinated artworks and wayfinding