A ROBOT that dispenses medication and organises stock is operating behind the scenes at the recently-opened Redland Bay WholeLife Pharmacy and Healthfoods store.
The pharmacy is part of a newly-developed shopping complex at Redland Bay, which will also feature a Woolworths, bottle shop and several other retailers.
Pharmacy co-owner Fiona Watson said the robot automated several processes, freeing up staff to spend more time on vaccinations, blood pressure checks and talking to customers about medication.
The pharmacy - which was known as Redland Bay Discount Drug Store before its rebranding and move to the new premises - also offers vegan food, meat alternatives and an extensive organic range.
Ms Watson said the pharmacy was calling on the community to help name the robot, with the winning entry to be announced at a grand opening event on April 22.
"My entire dispensary is contained within the robot and it just manages the stock for us," she said.
"We have been doing tours, bringing customers out the back and showing them how it works.
"Instead of having my highly trained and highly qualified pharmacists spending half the day trying to put stock away on shelves, they can talk to customers instead."
Ms Watson, who co-owns the Redland Bay pharmacy, came across the dispensary robots while training overseas about 12 years ago.
"They just make life so much easier from a stock management perspective," she said.
"The first one was installed in Australia 10 years ago and I said at the time 'I want one of those'.
"The development of Redland Bay has been in the works for a long time so we have had a while to think about how to get the most from it.
"We redesigned the whole dispensary to facilitate pharmacists being more available to the community.
"I think that is our strength. We are the last remaining health professional that you can see without an appointment and you don't have to pay money."
Ms Watson said several factors had driven the pharmacy's rebranding.
"I particularly feel that the experience we have been through over the last two years ... will make us more likely to care about our health," she said.
"We have a lot of meat alternatives, vegan products and quite a big organic range.
"To me it's something that fits very well with pharmacy because we are supposed to be there with you through your whole health process."
The new pharmacy will be more accessible for people travelling from the bay islands, reducing the need to take public transport to Victoria Point.
"We will be within walking distance of the bus stop, so the accessibility is better," Ms Watson said.
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