What a difference just two months can make. From burnt out by dispensing demand to now having more variety and time for clinical care – we talk to pharmacist Lauren Pollard at Marnhull Pharmacy in Dorset about the first weeks of using HubRx to manage dispensing…
When two local pharmacies closed one after the other, the team at Marnhull Pharmacy found themselves increasingly overwhelmed by new patient demand.
After battling it out for over a year the pharmacy team of 8 had reached breaking point. Stressed, overwhelmed and dispensing piling up – they knew they needed to do something to ease the pressure.
“Our capacity had become incredibly stretched. The closure of two pharmacies had a big impact in our local community. Lots of our patients are elderly. It led to our dispensing demand rising rapidly and we were struggling to keep up,” says Lauren.
To cope in August Marnhull Pharmacy began using HubRx’s automated dispensing service.
“It was a surprisingly easy transition,” says Lauren. “We access HubRx through our RxWeb PMR system and we send our prescription orders to them.
“All of the team have taken to this new way of working really well. You don’t need to be tech savvy, because it’s an easy system.
“It’s great that you can track each prescription in real time, and that the orders arrive quickly. Most are delivered the next morning actually.”
The pharmacy is now using HubRx to dispense around 65 per cent of its prescription volume.
“It’s reduced our dispensing turnaround times and the stress levels within the team.”
Lauren also adds that as well as easing the pressure on dispensing, the team has gained a few surprise benefits.
“We don’t have to hold as much stock. It’s reduced time to manage wholesale orders. Stock is one of the biggest expenses for any pharmacy business.
“We’ve also found that HubRx carry a wider variety of prescription items than we had imagined. It means rather than wait 2 or 3 days for something out of the ordinary, with HubRx we can more often than not, have it ready for the patient the next day.”
For Lauren, who qualified 3-years ago but has been working in the pharmacy ever since her mum encouraged her to gain work experience there, the new capacity created by HubRx has given her greater variety in her role. As well as the chance to broaden both hers, and the wider team’s skills.
“Up until now we’ve been limited to what clinical services the pharmacy could offer. But by freeing up more dispensing we’ve been given the chance to change that. To train, gain more skills. It’s providing more variety to our days.”
Asked if she would ever want to return to how the pharmacy managed their dispensing demand before they switched on the HubRx: “No, absolutely not.”
