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Independent pharmacies need to lose their fear of technology if they are to secure the future of their businesses, Stephen Lofthouse, head of independents at Walgreens Boots Alliance, told the conference.

Mr Lofthouse warned that pharmacists were in danger of letting their fear of change cause them to miss out on the benefits of technology such as m-health (mobile health), apps, wearable tech and tele-health. He cited figures from a survey by Alliance Healthcare showing that 80 per cent of pharmacy customers access the internet on a regular basis, while 60 per cent own a smartphone. In addition, 70 per cent of customers search for health-related information online and 26 per cent think that online pharmacies are more convenient than pharmacy stores.

€We have more tech savvy customers than any other market but there is a danger that pharmacy could be left out of the loop,€ he warned. Keep your NHS Choices pages up to scratch and be prepared for the time when patients will be able to leave TripAdvisor-style ratings on the site, he said.

Mr Lofthouse also advised those pharmacies that have their own website to update it regularly €“ €a website that is not maintained is more damaging to business than no website at all€ €“ as well as optimising it for smartphone use and linking it with other services. He even suggested that pharmacists consider conducting consultations with patients via Skype.

€New technology will absolutely change the way you do business and interact with stakeholders. Change is inevitable but by taking action decline certainly isn't,€ he said.