A HALESOWEN schoolgirl has helped launch its new outpatient pharmacy at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Lucy Bateman, from Lapal, was part of a group of 15 children aged between five and 14 who were given goodie bags by a swashbuckling pirate at the ribbon cutting of the hospital’s new Medicine Chest.

The pharmacy, which is in a convenient location near the main entrance, features a high-tech robot and a hand-held device which signals when medicines are ready, allowing families to visit the staff restaurant while they’re waiting.

Lucy, a year eight pupil at Haybridge High School in Hagley, helped with the ribbon and cake cutting at the launch.

The 12-year-old, who is a patient at the hospital, said: “The ribbon cutting was a symbol of new beginnings.

“It is going to be so much easier for parents to get their child’s medication before they go home.

“The best bit was seeing the robot swish up and down getting the medicines.”