New £11m lifesaving medicine unit to open

A new £11m unit preparing lifesaving medicines is to open in Wolverhampton next year.

The pharmacy aseptic unit will be where injectable medications including chemotherapy, intravenous nutrition and antibiotics are prepared in “a highly controlled environment”.

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust (RWT) said as the only facility of its kind in the Black Country, it will play a pivotal role in delivering faster and more personalised treatments.

Angela Davis, from RWT, said the unit marked “a new chapter” in the city.

About 2,000 chemotherapy doses will be produced there each month, along with other ready-made injectable medications while supporting research across the trust.

A recruitment drive for staff to work at the new unit was now under way, the trust said.

“Over the next 12 months, we will be commissioning a state-of-the-art pharmacy aseptic unit, designed to help us meet growing demand and deliver even higher standards of patient care,” Ms Davis, clinical director of pharmacy and medicines optimisation at RWT, said.

The investment in the unit meant “a significant commitment” to improving outcomes for patients, she added.