Pharmacy finds itself in a hostile environment so independents need to differentiate their business offer, maximise IT and invest in their teams, the Numark conference heard. Richard Thomas reports

Time to move onto the front foot, says D’Arcy

Pharmacy needs to think differently if it is to translate political support into action on the ground. So said Numark managing director, John D’Arcy, opening his company’s conference in Buenos Aires. “We are totally reactive as a profession and should be more proactive as we move towards a service proposition,” he said. The environment was hostile but in a “bankrupt” NHS, pharmacists’ resonance with their customers represented a big opportunity. “But we need to make it happen, en masse.” It was important to have a goal and a business plan, and to deliver services consistently with each team member playing their part.

“Involve your team up front, explain where you want to be in five years’ time, be clear with your vision and take them with you,” he told Numark members. Delegate, empower and invest in your staff, he continued. Identify their learning and development needs.

Continuing professional development, for both pharmacists and support teams, “should be ingrained in our practice and something that we want to do as [an important] part of our job”.

Profit not a dirty word

D’Arcy tackled the so-called conflict between pharmacy’s commercial and professional roles head on. It is not a case of pharmacists having to choose between being a business person or healthcare professional, he said. The two things are not incompatible. “Profit is not a dirty word. Actually it is a very good word. Community pharmacy may be a business but it is still about professionalism and healthcare. And if you don’t make a profit, you are not in business.”

 

 

Independents must extend their reach

Pharmacists need to extend their reach beyond the four walls of their pharmacy “because the competition is getting bigger and uglier – and if you don’t, someone else will,” warned Mandeep Mudhar, Numark’s director of marketing.

Pharmacy’s core business is solid, he continued, but profits are flat or declining. Yet changes in the NHS provide opportunities to help meet the £20bn savings targets, while the expansion in domiciliary care, population growth and rise in digital usage made the current environment “attractive” for pharmacists, argued Mudhar.

He urged pharmacists to maximise the digital opportunity including e-commerce and social media. “Your website has a wealth of information. Use tools such as Google Analytics to extract as much data as you can about your customers and how they use your site.” However a “static, languishing” website is actually damaging to your business, he warned.