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So what has changed for your business since the Pharmacy Show last October?
We asked four well placed people in the industry...
In the last year Pharmacy has suffered significantly with margins due to Category M and reduced wholesaler distribution by brand Pharma. Category M has provided a very efficient mechanism to the government but does not recognise increased cost of distribution for both supply and pharmacy and ‘Reduced Wholesaler’ or DTP models have in most cases followed with reductions in margins for pharmacy.
Service levels in pharmacy have also suffered due to supply quotas so in short, its been tough! Our business at Lexon has always been modelled to maximise value to our customers. With competitive net prices and our increased portfolio of PI to increase margin and availability we believe as Independent wholesalers our interest is always that of our independent customers. Whilst margins may suffer, in the coming year pharmacy has to focus on professional services and script retention and visiting the pharmacy show is essential to seek new opportunities.
Anup Sodha, Director, Lexon UK Ltd
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A lot of drastic changes have happened which has repercussions on Community pharmacy. In London, our PCTs have merged to form one small strategic PCT with massive loss of jobs under the new liberating NHS policy. Notable of all is the dismantling of the Medicines Management Departments. The enhanced and commissioned Services will continue, it is now onerous on Contractors to seek their own accreditations at their own expenses if they wish to bid for services as opposed to the costs being previously covered by the Medicines Management Department.
There are massive cutting of costs, but this has not affected our business performance because I do a lot of Enhanced and Advanced Services. At the Pharmacy Show conference, I attended meetings and lectures of Pharmacists with special interests and Independent Prescribers. I was inspired and learnt a lot. I have since started studying my Independent Prescribing Course.
Bernard Mweseka, Pharmacy Manager, Day Lewis Pharmacy, London
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The launch of the new pharmacy regulatory body - the General Pharmaceutical Council - means pharmacy managers and employers need to be absolutely sure that all their staff are up to date and competent. Keeping track of staff training at the moment is very ad hoc and time consuming, and many managers don’t feel they have the visibility of who’s doing what when.
With the microscope out on Pharmacists’ CPD records, we believe we will see a refocus on learning with employers taking a more active role. Pharmacists themselves are being far more proactive in ensuring they undertake relevant CPD learning that not only satisfies the requirements of the GPhC, but equips them with skills and education that allows them to deliver better patient care, run better businesses and get more from their job. We are already seeing a greater focus on pharmacists incorporating more clinical elements into their CPD cycle.
Fawz Farhan, Co-founder of Mediapharm and CPDEasy.com
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Since last year’s Pharmacy Show in October 2010, ARX have noticed some significant changes in the pharmaceutical industry, namely the impact of Category M in the UK and the reduction of payments to pharmacies in Ireland. In January the impact of implementing category M was felt, with pharmacists earning less for the same amount of work, or in some cases doing more volume but still earning less. There has proven to be a real pressure on pharmacists in the UK to improve efficiency, reduce waste and increase services. Because of this, there has been a growth in the level of interest in automation in the UK, and the majority of these pharmacists have chosen to automate with ARX.
In Ireland, there have been several reductions in payments to pharmacies, with more to come. With the Irish economy suffering as well, ARX automation can help pharmacies become more efficient and more profitable to survive these tough times.
Stephanie Dyke, Marketing, ARX Ltd
