There has been widespread coverage in recent months about the unplanned closures of increasing numbers of community pharmacies, both temporary and permanent. The poor state of core funding in the sector over a number of years, has led to real business difficulties for many independent pharmacies. Also, as highlighted by Sadiq al Hassan MP, there has been significant management failures too, with patient care issues being the result.
This has brought into stark focus the issue of how an independent pharmacy, local to a failing or closing branch can cope. Suddenly receiving thousands of additional prescription items to dispense, can be the straw that breaks their dispensary’s metaphorical back.
A significant uplift in items requires increased stock holding, additional space and staff hours. All at a time when dispensing many of those items may often not be profitable given current SAF and margin claw back constraints. ICBs, CPE and LPCs are all grappling with how to deal with this, as the specter grows of some pretty large independent groups failing.
Fortunately, HubRx provides its customers with resilience and reassurance in the event that a pharmacy local to them, closes. We have at our £15m facility, the capacity to absorb sudden increases for those independent pharmacies that are already using us for a significant amount of their dispensing volumes. All without the need for additional staff, space or stock.
HubRx can’t exist simply as a backup insurance provider to switch on and off only in this eventuality – the ICB 28-day notice period is just one reason for that – but we can be there for you if you join the growing numbers of independents signed-up and actively using our service.
They have already determined that the core benefits of 15 hours of capacity for clinical services, improved staff cost-control, scale buying benefits and reduced stock holding, allowing them to improve profitability, despite the CPCF limitations.
Talk to HubRx today about how we can transform your pharmacy business by delivering capacity, efficiency & profitability.
Mark Pedder – Commercial Director – 07521424160
Taha Al-Attraqchi – BDM – 07771235550