Can Technology Really Help To Solve The Current Issues Facing Community Pharmacy, And If So, What Are Some Of The Barriers To Adoption?

Here Trinity PR speaks to Ed Platt, Senior Commercial Director, Omnicell UK & Ireland

“The new labour Government’s Chancellor Rachel Reeves hasn’t shied away from her bold ambitions to get the economy moving, by tackling productivity and fixing the fall in business investment. In order to do this, she has turned to a theory which has been championed on the other side of the Atlantic, modern supply-side economics.  The concept involves using the tools of the state to manufacture an investment boom, while also tackling inequality. Behind this the aim is to expand and upskill the workforce, while encouraging employers to use the latest technologies to boost productivity.¹

This approach and encouragement from Central Government, comes as there is a growing realisation among pharmacists that the opportunities offered by automated systems to streamline their processes, improve service levels and enhance the patient experience are too good to ignore. Harnessing technology has never been more important to the survival of community pharmacy, as the recently launched ‘Pharmacy First’ programme provides new revenue streams for businesses but has been welcomed with mixed reviews due to pressures from workloads and staffing issues. A recent survey by Omnicell reveals that over 1/3 (35%) of community pharmacists admit to having a lack of knowledge and awareness of automation.¹

Yes, Pharmacy First will enable pharmacists to be the first port of call for seven common health conditions without the need to visit a GP and it aims to free up more than 10 million GP appointments a year. But, according Omnicell’s research², interestingly a third of pharmacies (33%) are currently not signed up to initiative, despite an overwhelmingly 80% welcoming it. A lack of time is the key reason that over half (53%) believe it will prevent their business from fully benefiting from this initiative and surprisingly, only 3% say it will enable them to spend more quality time with patients.

This problem of underfunding and overstretched workloads is echoed by Nick Kaye, Chair of the National Pharmacy Association, who in a recent article in The Guardian said that: “The nation’s community pharmacies are under enormous pressure and totally underfunded for their vital work on the health service frontline. This has inevitably resulted in cutbacks such as reduced opening hours and ending free medicines deliveries to housebound patients.”

Community pharmacists want to be able to focus on the health and wellbeing of their patients and the Pharmacy First scheme is one such initiative that will empower them to be able to do this. Potentially, it will also make pharmacies even more important to their communities and more accessible than local GPs, a trend which first started and then grew exponentially during the pandemic as GP surgeries closed their doors, whilst pharmacies broadly remained open. As there are over 11,700 community pharmacies in high street locations in England which see on average around 438 million visits per year, the far-reaching impact of pharmacists on the health and wellbeing of the general public cannot be over-estimated. But with staffing issues and workload problems, pharmacies need to urgently understand and harness the power of technology in order to keep their businesses afloat and their doors open to the public.

Automation is the key enabler in allowing forward-thinking pharmacies to develop their roles and revenues. However, Omnicell’s recently released survey results found that more than a third of pharmacists still have a general lack of awareness and knowledge regarding automation.  However, encouragingly, over a half are thinking of investing in automation to boost their business in the next 12 months or so.

The automation hardware most commonly acquired by pharmacies for their initial investment tends to be robotic dispensing systems (RDS) for original pack dispensing, Monitored Dosage System (MDS) pack-filling automation and patient prescription collection points.

There are pros and cons to all types of automation, so it is essential that pharmacies carefully consider the most effective investment options for their needs, as well as understanding the opportunities for integrating systems to increase their effectiveness within their particular business set up. Where there is a higher reliance on MDS, or where the pharmacy supplies MDS to care homes, MDS automation is a very quick win. The impact is immediate because MDS is usually a highly labour-intensive process, which can be particularly prone to errors.

Original pack dispensing is another quick win which can benefit almost all pharmacies. Most underestimate the time it takes to put stock away, rotate stock and volumes of dispensing. Automation can be transformational, but there is a threshold needed for it to be massively cost effective.

Finally, more recently, we have also seen an increase in demand for patient prescription collection points – these can free up counter time, which can instead be spent dealing with patients and offering them revenue-generating services. Additionally, the result is a much better ‘patient-centric’ experience, with a reduction in queuing times and the convenience for patients of being able to collect prescriptions conveniently 24/7.

It is a false economy to employ staff for roles which can be automated, compared to a long-term plan which factors in automated solutions which will enable teams to focus on stronger patient-centric care.”

References

1. The Guardian Friday 16^th August: https://tinyurl.com/nhdp3hma
2. Omnicell survey amongst Pharmacists and Pharmacy Teams {50}: August/September 2024