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the new pharmacy model

The New Pharmacy Model

Pharmacies in the United Kingdom are undergoing a profound transformation. Gone are the days of simply dispensing medicine from the back of the pharmacy. The emergence of new compliance standards and regulations, alongside advancements in technology and a shift towards more patient-centric care, has paved the way for what can be aptly termed as “The New Pharmacy Model”.

This model, envisioned by our CEO, Saam Ali, encompasses a comprehensive approach to pharmacy spanning four key pillars: products and services, marketing and sales strategies, operational enhancements, and human resources development.

Take a look at the infographic below, which we’ve developed, that showcases The New Pharmacy Model in the industry. Let’s delve deeper into its intricacies.

new pharmacy model

The New Pharmacy Model, as depicted by our CEO and Founder

Products & Services

NHS Services: Pharmacies are at the forefront of providing essential NHS services, with a primary focus on prescription fulfilment. The integration of fully automated prescription fulfilment systems has streamlined the process, ensuring accuracy and efficiency. Additionally, pharmacies offer advanced services such as New Medicine Service (NMS), hypertension management, Pharmacy First consultations, flu vaccinations, and access to emergency contraception like the Morning After Pill.

Private Services: Expanding beyond NHS services, pharmacies now offer a plethora of private services under the same roof. These include travel vaccinations, ear wax removal, blood testing, aesthetics procedures, and over-the-counter (OTC) sales of various healthcare products and supplements, catering to diverse consumer needs. In the New Pharmacy Model, the pharmacy is a true health hub in the community.

Online Services: The digital era has ushered in a new era of accessibility and convenience. Pharmacies now offer online prescribing services allowing independent prescribers to sell prescription-only medication (POM), pharmacy-only medicines (P-lines), and General Sales List (GSL) items safely and securely online.

Marketing & Sales

Engagement Strategies: Utilising web-based platforms, pharmacies engage with customers through online bookings, AI-powered health assistants, live chat support, email opt-ins, and dedicated mobile applications, ensuring seamless communication and accessibility.

Marketing Channels: To amplify their reach, pharmacies employ a mix of marketing channels including search engine optimisation (SEO), social media engagement, Google and Meta advertising, digital TV signage, email and SMS marketing, and innovative strategies like QR codes to enhance customer engagement and retention.

Partnerships

Healthcare Collaborations: Pharmacies are now forging strategic partnerships with healthcare providers including general practitioners (GPs), dental clinics, chiropodists, weight loss clinics, optometrists, and medical labs to offer comprehensive and integrated healthcare solutions.

Other Collaborations: Beyond healthcare, pharmacies collaborate with travel agents, local businesses, and corporate entities to extend their services and cater to diverse consumer needs.

Operations

Enhanced Experience: Pharmacies invest in enhancing the customer experience by providing physical premises with multiple consultation rooms designed in a clinical setting. Additionally, technology infusion ensures a seamless and efficient service delivery.

Online Pharmacy: In response to evolving consumer preferences, pharmacies offer online platforms with a smooth user experience (UX), digital communications, and trackable order systems to cater to the growing demand for digital healthcare solutions.

Technology Integration: Robotics play a pivotal role in pharmacy operations with dispensing robots, pill packs, and 24/7 prescription collection systems ensuring accuracy, efficiency, and round-the-clock service. Additionally, pharmacies leverage software and hardware solutions including Pharmacy Management Systems (PMR), websites, apps, digital records, Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) systems, and automated drug ordering systems to streamline operations.

Human Resources

Training Programs: Pharmacies invest in comprehensive training programs encompassing in-person sessions covering vaccinations, independent prescribing (IP), Patient Group Directions (PGDs), CPR training, clinical assessments, and workshops to ensure staff competency and compliance.

Continuous Learning and Support: Recognising the importance of ongoing learning, pharmacies offer self-learning modules and support mechanisms through online platforms, buying groups, and membership associations to empower their workforce with new skills and knowledge.

People-Centric Culture: Pharmacies foster a positive and inclusive work culture that emphasises recognition, diversity, and inclusion, creating an empowering environment for their employees. This is key for pharmacy growth and has been neglected in the old model.

Leadership Attributes: Leaders embody visionary, innovative, adaptable, resilient, and collaborative traits, steering their pharmacy organisations through dynamic healthcare landscapes and driving positive change.

Embrace Change

The New Pharmacy Model represents a huge shift in how pharmacies operate and interact with their patients and customers. By embracing technological advancements, expanding service offerings, forging strategic partnerships, optimising operations, and nurturing their human resources, pharmacies are not just adapting to change but leading the way towards a more integrated and patient-centric healthcare ecosystem in the United Kingdom.

At Pharmacy Mentor, we’re playing a crucial role in helping pharmacies adapt to the New Model. Our marketing and development solutions help with two of the big pillars in this model in a variety of ways. If you’re keen on understanding how we can help you, please get in touch with us. Our team of experts have helped 1000’s of pharmacies embrace new solutions and engage with their audiences better.

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artifical intelligence in pharmacy
With massive advances in recent years, AI in pharmacy isn’t far away. And the changes AI will bring to pharmacy promise to be massive.

What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?

Artificial Intelligence is another term for machine learning. It traces its roots back to World War 2. Alan Turing, a renowned logician, was recruited to break the German military’s Enigma Code – a process that could not have been achieved by humans. The machines (called Bombes) learned what to do, effectively by learning what not to do, using laws of logic. Similarly, machines are now more than a match for humans at Chess, demonstrating that when it comes to logic, the human brain has limitations that machine learning does not.

Whilst the application of AI has advanced significantly since then, the core concept of how it works is pretty much identical. Humans use available information as well as reason in order to solve problems and make decisions, so why can’t machines do the same thing?

The limitation has always been the amount of information that computers can store. But increasingly, with storage (where the AI stores its knowledge) and the data sets (from which AI can learn) both massively increasing over the decades, this limitation is a thing of the past.

AI is inextricably linked to Big Data, which is just as important, if not moreso, as the data is what gives the AI the information to learn. There’s no point in having a big brain if you never learn anything. Arguably, AI is worthless without the data to learn from, whereas we’d at least be able to interpret Big Data in a limited capacity with our soft, human brains.

word cloud featuring pharmacy, data, ai, pharmacist and other associated words

How does AI impact Pharmacy right now?

The frontline of pharmacy is probably yet to feel the full force of the impact AI is making on the wider Pharmaceutical Industry. Whilst facial recognition and speech pattern monitors can be used to detect rare diseases, it isn’t like these systems are in operation in community pharmacies.

Something that is more accessible is compliance technology. though perhaps not in the guise that it’s needed quite yet.

Another accessible option for pharmacies is artificial intelligence Sentiment Analysers, which are in a trial phases of a rollout for things like phone calls.

Sentiment analysers

Sentiment analysers are artificial intelligence programmes that analyse either text, or speech & voice patterns and detect in real-time how a person is feeling based on that analysis. If you’ve ever used Grammarly, and it’s shown you how your writing might come across to your readers, that is sentiment analysis at work.

Now, you might think it’s obvious when someone is angry at you on the phone. And it is. But over the course of hundreds of phone calls, seeing the analysis of the trigger words which cause this anger, as well as the words used to calm people, might well give you insights leading to more effective phone conversations. Not only for you, but your entire team. This is the sort of insight that it’s almost impossible to analyse when we’re the ones holding the phone conversations, as we’re usually focused on what we’re doing, rather than analysing ourselves.

How can AI impact Pharmacy in the future?

The limit to this question will be found in the limitation of the human imagination. Pointed in the right direction, and given the right data, there aren’t many areas that AI can’t improve.

  • Drug development & efficacy (both linked to genetics)
  • Patient compliance
  • More data informed patient health & proactive interventions
  • Risk assessment & Fraud reduction
  • Driverless Delivery
  • Sentiment Analysers
  • More efficient clinical trials

Not all of these directly impact pharmacy, but pharmacy feels the ripple effects of the shock waves in healthcare.

These are the areas that AI can impact pharmacy. But let’s look in more detail at some of the areas where AI almost certainly will impact Pharmacy in the future.

Driverless Delivery

Driverless cars across all roads are still decades away, say experts in the field of AI. But the rollout of smaller, driverless delivery vans like the type that deliver Domino’s Pizza are on the horizon.

Depending on your model, your preferences and your priorities, you might reject this idea.

“I like my delivery driver and they have a great relationship with the patients,” you say. I think that there’s definitely a big argument for retaining the service of a delivery driver. Especially considering serving an elderly population who aren’t tech savvy. They aren’t going to want to start messing around with PINs sent by text and entering it into the van. And there’s also a strong argument for the social contact that delivery drivers give isolated patients being a part of the service to the community.

However, there is a credible argument for utilising both driverless and driver…ful vans. Just like the Pharmaself24 works alongside your counter staff, the driverless delivery van could be a great addition to your arsenal. It gives a green option to a more tech-savvy, environmentally conscious generation. And a more convenient option to those who don’t need social contact from the delivery driver.

From the perspective of a pharmacy business owner, it’s another case of automation making fiscal sense. Why pay for another delivery driver and a van, when you can just pay once for a driverless van? That isn’t necessarily a rhetorical question, but it’s certainly one you’d consider from a business perspective.

Monitoring Patient Behaviours

AI can revolutionise healthcare, not just pharmacy.

It would rely on some sort of large shared database, as machines, like humans, can only learn from information they have access to. But coupled with Big Data from health apps, medical records and other sources (ideally encrypted, protected from third parties and shared across healthcare institutions) Artificial intelligence should allow frontline healthcare professionals like pharmacists incredible insights to inform patient conversations with.

Imagine having the knowledge that 43 year old men statistically don’t finish their course of antibiotics, or that people from a certain background traditionally don’t respond well to a certain medication. Think about how much great advice you can give. If you weren’t in a care setting, you’d clap your hands together and evil laugh with all the power now at your disposal. And I painted that hyperbolic picture tongue-in-cheek because, naturally, patients still need to be treated as individuals. This sort of power shouldn’t blind us to the need for individual care. But it certainly makes giving tailored care easier.

heart rate monitor on a wearable watch

Wearables

This is an important one for pharmacies to pay attention to for two reasons.

AI knows cardiac patterns which lead to serious issues, and people wearing health tech can be given early warning signs. The more innovation happens with wearables, the more interventions can be made proactively, instead of reactively. Which in healthcare, makes a massive difference. It’s a lot easier to prevent a heart attack than it is to recover from one.

As a pharmacist, there will almost certainly be a consultation opportunity either to address these Early Warning Signs, or to monitor the use of and advise on the data provided by wearable technologies so that it never reaches that stage. AI will do most of the legwork here when it comes to interpreting and analysing the data. As the pharmacist, it will be your job to give tailored advice based on the AI’s findings. Perhaps it’s a dietary change, perhaps an increase in exercise, perhaps it’s a prescription. Either way, it’s very similar to general health checks now, except far more informed by data, not only from that specific patient, but by all the data gathered by wearables.

Pharmacies perfectly positioned purveyors

The second reason this is important for pharmacists, is because pharmacies should already be looking to be leading distributors of wearable health technology. When people buy in-person, it’s because they want advice about the products from experts. Who better to sell wearable health technology than the health professional who works with them? When the world of wearables reaches its peak, you don’t want to be just learning about them. This is a relevant retail offering, and the sooner you get on board, the better for your pharmacy business. Activity trackers are only the beginning of wearable health tech. Innovations in this area will continue to develop, with nano-technology making the wearables less cumbersome and easier to wear. But it is AI, which makes everything possible.

Of course, there’s going to be people who reject wearing technology, for a number of reasons. So it won’t immediately make every patient interaction super easy. But for the ones who do, you can look forward to better informed consultations.

Monitoring Fraudulent Behaviour

It feels as though I read about a struck-off pharmacist every other week for some fraudulent behaviour or other. But the beauty of AI, especially when coupled with shared data, such as from SystmOne, is that once fraudulent behaviour happens, and happens, and happens again, the system learns the unconscious patterns in an organisation that lead to fraudulent behaviour. The financial world deploys similar systems. In fact, $217 billion has been spent on AI systems preventing fraud and assessing risk within the banking industry alone. Obviously, the expense of these systems is large (these systems usually start at around £100k), however, as technology advances, it will grow increasingly more affordable.

It isn’t just pharmacist fraud either. Prescription fraud faces a tough future, (provided we move to a fully digitised system,) not just with AI detecting fraudulent patient behaviour, but also from blockchain technology. Blockchain is actually the better of the two at stopping fraud (certainly for now) as current anti-fraud AI technology doesn’t work in real-time.

Could A.I. go badly for Pharmacy?

We could wish for AI tomorrow and end up regretting embracing the technology too fast, or for the wrong reasons, Black Mirror style.

What’s the worst that could happen?

Well, probably the worst-case scenario is the malevolent use of Big Data. There’s a definite argument for whoever controls the data holding too much power. Especially as corporations, whose primary directive is to make more money, are the ones investing heavily in AI. This is especially true if one company ends up as the dominant force in the industry.

Coincidentally, a short while after I wrote the sentence about Big Data being used malevolently, I came across a company called Benevolent AI, involved in drug discovery & development. It’s either sheer coincidence, or the AI industry is already proactively setting the perception this kind of criticism.

AI – Always Infallible?

There’s also the potential for AI to get things wrong. When you consider that it learns solely from data, without the experience or the perspective of a human, then what happens when the data it’s making decisions on is inaccurate, or incomplete? For instance, facial recognition technology isn’t as effective on Black & Asian faces. Imprisoning incorrectly is an issue. Diagnosing incorrectly and prescribing medication for an ailment someone doesn’t have? Also not ideal. Now, there are failsafes we can put in place. But misinterpreted data, or conclusions drawn from incomplete data are potential pitfalls that need accounting for.

What do I need to do as a pharmacist?

Eventually AI will go mainstream and become the default in healthcare settings. As and when this happens, naturally everyone must adapt.

But until that point, my advice is proactively seek out these technologies and innovations, as soon as you can. They make your life easier, and your patients lives better.

Why would you not want that as soon as possible?

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LEARN THROUGH VIDEO

LEARN THROUGH READING

“Saam has been very helpful in explaining how to use the information in the course. Material is explained in a simple yet informative manner. Thanks for your help.”
Taj – Director and Superintendent Pharmacist

In this short blog post, I’m going to show you how one of my students who enrolled onto The Pharmacy and Social Media Mastery Course has completely transformed their Facebook Page into a very powerful and engaging marketing tool.

Taking it into your own hands

Taj from Totley Pharmacy already had a Facebook page for his business but it was severely lacking in creativity and activity. In fact, it was being managed by a 3rd party who was doing him no favours, posting generic content once every two weeks or so and utilising none of its features. It was stale, un-engaging and didn’t really serve a purpose.

Fast forward to today and the story is totally different. Their Facebook page is a thriving hub of activity. When Taj and his team took control of their Facebook page and began the course a few months back, I remember them having 57 page likes. They have managed to increase that by 2400% up to 1,400 likes and it keeps rising. Although this isn’t the most important metric of a Facebook Page, they have expanded their direct audience dramatically meaning they have the opportunity to influence 1000’s of people every week.

Connecting with the Community

They’re now posting on a daily basis and it’s relevant content for their audience, which is keeping them engaged. They’re beginning to use their Facebook page as a standard communication tool with their customers and responding within minutes. This is great customer service and really helps with retention and loyalty. And they’re also beginning to drive customer reviews, building trust into their brand which is so important in the digital world of today.

Although Totley pharmacy are still not using all of the tools their Facebook page has to offer, they are dominating the core function of it and engaging with their community with great success. They are fighting against the funding cuts by marketing in new and innovative ways and I wish them all the best.

Are you ready to engage your Community in new ways?

If you’d like to create a powerful Facebook marketing strategy for your pharmacy, then The Pharmacy and Social Media Mastery Course is for you. It empowers you and your team with the tools to drive your business on Social and embed it into your current business model. And at £99, there are no monthly fees and with that, you get lifetime access and support.

If you’d like more information about the course, or to simply talk about your Social Media strategy, I’m all ears. Together, we can take your pharmacy business to newer levels.

Thanks for visiting and I wish you the best for your business.

Saam