INPHASERVE


'SEcURINg thE fUtURE Of INdEPENdENt cOmmUNIty PhaRmacy tO ImPROVE hEalth aNd wEll-BEINg IN lOcal cOmmUNItIES' may SOUNd lIkE a lOfty aIm, BUt, aS kEIth mcElREa, dIREctOR Of OPERatIONS at INPhaSERVE tEllS PIf, thE cOmPaNy'S VISION IS what makES It...


thE cOmPlEtE SOlUtION fOR INdEPENdENt PhaRmacy


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n partnership with wife and fellow pharmacist fiona, Bangor-born keith mcElrea has run a successful


pharmacy in whithorn in wigtownshire for nine years, as well as a new contract in Newton Stewart.


keith's passion for pharmacy is almost palpable and it is a passion that he has carried into his role first as a director, then director of Operations at pharmacy buying and support group, Inphaserve over almost four years.


'having operated a number of pharmacies at the 'coalface' as it were for more than nine years,' keith tells Pif, 'I'm more than aware of what independent community pharmacies need in terms of support and buying options.


'One of the things that I love best about Inphaserve is that we operate like a mutual - as a not-for-profit company, where all of the income the group receives in retro from suppliers, bar the small head office cost, goes back to members in the way of a benefits package designed to save business time, effort and money.


'this not only makes daily operation easier - allowing the pharmacist and their team to focus on patient care in the knowledge that they're getting best basket price, that stock is available when they need it, and that when they have a problem - regardless of whether it's difficulties with staff, health and safety, or if they just need information - that it's covered.


18 - PhaRmacy IN fOcUS


'Inphaserve works with a selected few wholesalers, rather than a melting pot, including alliance healthcare and Sigma Pharmaceuticals to offer a number of options for independents and independent groups, and, as I said, all the income we receive from these wholesalers, after our small head office cost, goes back to the members in the way of benefits.


'to give you an idea of what these benefits entail I'll base them on a Platinum member, who would have a £10k plus generic spend with Sigma, or approximately £12k with alliance/Otc/cavendish. key benefits would include:


• NPa membership paid; • NPa Indemnity Insurance Paid; • gold Standard hR Services, from full bespoke contracts to disciplinary handling and includes indemnity against any awards as long as advice given is followed; • gold Standard health and Safety Services including bi-annual premises inspections and task list to reach compliance; • Pharmapod: an error recording and benchmarking software which allows a pharmacy to measure itself against other pharmacies in its group, against the whole Inphaserve membership, and against all Pharmapod members in the Uk and Ireland (all data fully anonymised) and Pharmapod now includes standard SOP templates and an SOP management system.


'In addition to these benefits, our Sigma members get a standard 60-90


day credit period depending on their ordering method and have access to the amex Business charge card scheme for only £140 per annum, and which is free for year one. this provides an extra 54 days' credit over and above the standard 60-90 days, and a total of up to 144 days' credit which gives a massive cash flow boost to pharmacies.


'Sigma also offers Inphaserve members a prior month bulk order, where they can place an order for an average month generics after 25th of month, which can to go on to the following month's statement.


'So all in all, our benefits package saves a Platinum member around £4,000 per annum per pharmacy on services and memberships. as such, our pricing is highly competitive and is compared against the market regularly to ensure it stays that way and with our extended credit terms and amex terms can create a substantial cash flow boost. If you have four or five pharmacies, substantial enough to put you well on your way to purchasing another pharmacy. we think it’s a highly compelling offering and the key to a secure future for independent community pharmacy. •


If you’d like to arrange a meeting, call Business Development Executive, Paula Usher, on 07557 879 374 or Head Office on 0845 034 2285.


caSE StUdy


kells & connor Pharmacy has been a member of Inphaserve since april 2014. here, business manager, william mccaughey, tells Pif why he believes that membership of Inphaserve is of prime benefit to the pharmacy.


'having been part of the albapharm group of Independents for many years prior, joining Inphaserve seemed the natural thing to do, and as an independent haven't regretted the move.


'It’s good to have an excellent head office staff at Inphaserve that you know are working for the interests of you as an independent.


‘along with the many benefits such as Professional Indemnity Insurance, Pharmapod incident reporting, and access to human Resource consultants, xact, who provide both valuable hR advice on employment law and health and Safety compliant inspections at your premises, we also have our NPa insurance fee covered through Inphaserve, as well as access to Business Protection Insurance and commercial insurance.


'Being a platinum member within the group not only allows us access to these advantages but also grants us free membership to Inphaserve. Independents in this era of large multiples and multi- national companies need to work together, supporting each other to maximise their buying power.


'the Inphaserve group therefore works closely with the largest independent wholesaler in the Uk, SIgma, which provides a clear pricing policy and a 60-day credit facility to all Inphaserve members.


‘we not only know exactly what we are paying for our generic items, but also benefit from a further extended 54-day credit facility when combined with the amEx credit card payment method. It’s a win win for everyone.'


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