Community Pharmacy Design and Fit Out for Abbey Chemist, Paisley

Abbey Chemist has been an integral part of the community in Paisley since 1988.  It is located on the main arterial route in and out of the town and has a prominent position next to one of the main medical centres with ample parking.  In this case study, Director Pharmacist Siraj Mohammed talks through the process and the challenges faced with a full-scale refit of an existing pharmacy.

ABBEY CHEMIST FIT-OUT – OPTIMISING SPACE TO INCORPORATE A PRESCRIPTION COLLECTION MACHINE AND A DISPENSING ROBOT:

“We hadn’t used Retail Design Consultants prior to this project, so before work started, we went to see some of their other projects and assess how they have optimised space to incorporate automation.

“This was probably quite a complex and challenging fit-out for everyone involved as we opted to install a Pharmaself24 Hour Prescription Collection Machine and a BD Rowa Dispensing robot, so there was a lot happening simultaneously.  Once we had spoken to Retail Design Consultants and witnessed what they had done elsewhere, we knew that we could achieve our ambitions with the pharmacy.

“Although we knew we wanted to introduce the two different technologies of the collection robot and the dispensing robot plus separate the work areas, we didn’t know how to do that effectively.  Retail Design Consultants used their expertise to create a design that could address everything we were looking to do.  The ergonomics of the space are now much better, with one team concentrated in the area near the collection robot and the other team working in the script collection area.  There is no physical barrier between the teams, but rather defined workspaces, and both teams communicate seamlessly with each other.  It can be hectic at times with up to eight people working in the pharmacy at any one time, so that a clear delineation of who is doing what and where, makes daily operations much more manageable.

“Before the fit-out, we also had a lot of wasted space.  The counter area was far too big for our needs.  It was 40% bigger than what it is now, and the proportions were all wrong – we had a tiny dispensary and a massive counter, so this new design has reversed that, and the dispensary area has increased by approximately 40%.  We have also cut back a lot of the retail sales area which wasn’t a significant part of our business.  This was reduced by about 30%, making more room available for the prescription collection machine.

“We also inherited an entrance and an exit door.  Again, this was completely unnecessary, so the exit door was removed, and the space behind the old exit door was used to install the new prescription collection machine which was the ideal location since we didn’t have to demolish any external walls”

BENEFITS OF USING RETAIL DESIGN CONSULTANTS:

“Simply put, their vast experience in pharmacy shopfitting, and expertise in designing a community pharmacy incorporating automation, have proven massively beneficial to us.

“Pharmacy fit-out is a very specialised area.  It needs detailed planning and an experienced team to know how to do it properly.

“You need to partner with a company you know you can trust to deliver the end result and we were delighted with Retail Design Consultants commitment to the project, and ultimately the end result.  So much so, we recently instructed them to carry out shopfitting works at one of our other Paisley branches which is near completion.

“As experts in pharmacy design and fit-out, we highly recommend Retail Design Consultants.”

PROJECT DETAILS:

  • Full survey, design feasibility and drawing package to clients approval, to facilitate new internal layout
  • Design incorporated new DDA accessible toilet , larger staff area , new DDA accessible Consultation room, separate private Advice area as well as 6.5m BD Rowa robot and large PS24 collection machine
  • Architects and engineers submissions to obtain building warrant and planning approvals
  • Set up of temporary dispensary to allow continual trading while install of BD Rowa dispensing robot and then subsequent full shopfit
  • Builders works and shopfront to accommodate new Pharmaself 24 collection machine
  • Liaise and ensure smooth integration of shopfittings, with all engineers from BD Rowa and Pharmaself24
  • Bespoke design and manufacture of all timber shopfittings and woodwork including new doorkits throughout
  • All trades and contractors to complete Suspended Ceilings / Mechanical + Electrical / Data works / Plumbing / Flooring / Decoration throughout

RDC, Community Pharmacy Design and Fit Out Experts