Pharmacy Complete

sustainable

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Time for change

The current landscape is probably the most challenging that community pharmacy has ever faced, certainly in our professional memory. A combination of the ongoing under-funding and the workload and workforce pressures are a perfect storm for pharmacy owners, pharmacists and their teams. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we all think and act and it has accelerated changes in consumer expectations and behaviours. It has also positively changed the NHS’s view of community pharmacy and how it may use it in the future as an integrated part of primary care. However, the Treasury’s view of funding has not changed and no sign that it will despite the various pharmacy organisations lobbying for that. #OneVoice

Online shopping, increased use of distance selling pharmacies, digital health and technological innovation has and continues to require community pharmacies to adapt to a new health and business landscape.

Large multiple pharmacy groups have already announced significant remodelling plans in response to these challenges.

Where does this leave independent pharmacy? 

The outcomes of our research through conversations and working in and with independent pharmacies has shown that they and their teams are facing a number of critical problems:

  • Financial – cash-flow and reduced margins
  • Personal strain and mental ill-health
  • Feeling overwhelmed and out of control
  • Team recruitment, retention and performance
  • Capacity and time to plan and deliver

In addition, new and extended NHS services have been announced including GP referrals into the Community Pharmacist Consultation Service, the Hypertension Service, the Discharge Medicines Service, Smoking Cessation Referrals and a Contraception Service. These and others in the CPCF pipeline are welcomed as part of a further integration into health provision in primary care. However, there is no new funding associated with these, only recycled money within the existing 5-year contract sum = more for the same, or in real terms, 30% less!

Pharmacy must find a way to take back control; to create the time, capability and energy to embrace and deliver these services. Pharmacy must also be less reliant on a single payor (the NHS) by developing their non-NHS service and OTC income.

Pharmacy owners can delay no longer, there is an urgent need to develop their own recovery plan.

The Pharmacy Complete Reset and Recover Programme has been developed utilising all our knowledge, skills and experience and is designed to support all the required elements to help address these problems and create an effective business recovery plan specific to community pharmacy. Click on the link above to find out more and see how we can help you to help yourself.

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Creating a new future

The last 2 years has probably the most challenging period that community pharmacy has ever faced, certainly in our professional memory. A combination of underfunding and the COVID-19 pandemic has been a perfect storm for pharmacy owners, pharmacists and their teams. Yet those same people have been magnificent in their response, putting their patients and their communities before themselves. However, negotiations on additional funding within the CPCF 5-year deal show no progress and, whilst words of thanks are welcomed, they do not pay the bills.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we all think and act and it has accelerated changes in consumer expectations and behaviours. It has also changed the NHS’s view of community pharmacy and how it may use it in the future as an integrated part of primary care.

Through conversations and working in and with independent pharmacies it is clear that they and their teams are facing a number of critical problems around resilience, sustainability, capacity to implement new CPCF services and feeling out of control.

Pharmacy must find a way to take back control, to create the time, capability and energy to embrace and deliver these services, but also to develop their non-NHS service and OTC healthcare income. Pharmacy owners can delay no longer, there is an urgent need to develop their own recovery plan. The time has come to work on the business, not just in it. The time has come to find more efficient ways of operating by analysing how things are done, by embracing technology and by exploring market opportunities.

The Pharmacy Complete Reset and Recover Programme has been developed by pharmacists for pharmacy utilising all our extensive knowledge, skills and experience and is designed to support all the required elements to help create an effective business recovery plan. Click on the link above to find out more and see how we can help you.

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Pharmacy Reset & Recover

As community pharmacy reflects on and learns from its excellent response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the time is now right to move forward and plan for reset and recover.

Large multiple pharmacy groups are already announcing significant restructuring and remodelling plans in response to the financial, operational and landscape challenges, but where does that leave independent pharmacy? 

Negotiations on COVID-19 related costs have now begun plus discussions on next steps for implementation of the 5-year contractual framework. However, community pharmacy owners cannot wait and there is an urgent need to develop their own recovery plan.

The outcomes of our research through conversations with owners and managers of independent pharmacies has shown that pharmacy contractors and their teams are facing a number of critical problems:

  • Financial
  • Personal strain
  • Feeling out of control and overwhelmed
  • Team performance
  • Capacity and time
  • Competition

The Pharmacy Complete Reset and Recover Programme has been developed utilising all our knowledge, skills and experience and is designed to support all the required elements to help address these problems and create an effective business recovery plan specific to community pharmacy. Click on the link above to find out more.

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Planning for a sustainable future

The announcement of the funding settlement for the remainder of the 2018/19 financial year will not be well received by pharmacy owners in England. That, together with reinstatement of the temporarily postponed Category M overspend recovery, will create further cashflow and sustainability challenges for many owners, particularly independents.

Unfortunately, this was predictable on the back of almost three lost years whilst the judicial review of the previously imposed and poorly implemented funding settlement was pursued rather than asking the right questions of the right people to understand where pharmacy could support the very challenged NHS and public health systems.

We have written many times about the need to change the contractual framework and the funding formula to incentivise the right behaviours and reward quality delivery through a fairer system that is not based on a non-existent average pharmacy that benefits a few and penalises many.

To support pharmacy contractors, Pharmacy Complete has developed a unique Business Development Programme. Planning for Growth enables owners and their managers to take control of their future by developing a robust business plan.

This course, which builds on our Leadership development programmes and the platform of Healthy Living Pharmacy, provides essential business knowledge, skills and tools at a time when community pharmacy can no longer wait for someone else to create their future business model nor be so dependent on the NHS for profitable income.

Pharmacy Complete – enabling pharmacy for a healthier future

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SMARTER Goals

Most of us have come across the acronym SMART when developing goals or making plans, but how many of us have made these goals and plans SMARTER?

So often our life or business goals are not sufficiently specific or measurable and many do not have an ‘achieve by’ timeline all of which are critical to achieving those goals. Even if these elements are all in place, we often fail to measure whether we are on track to achieve or have achieved the desired goals. This is where the ER in SMARTER comes in.

 

We use this approach in our Knowledge into Action workshop and MECC course for Health Champions where they are applied to healthier lifestyle goal setting. Our Business Development Programme course, Planning for Growth, also explores and supports the effective use of SMARTER goal setting when creating a business plan.

What gets measured, gets done!