NUMARK


Importance of reviewing your business


aUgUSt catEgorY m rEImbUrSEmEnt prIcES arE to bE rEDUcED bY £15m pEr month for a tWElVE-month pErIoD. at thE momEnt, catEgorY m DrUg tarIff aDJUStmEntS arE hIgh In EVErYonE’S thoUghtS - WIth thE aVEragE pharmacY lIKElY to bE £3700 WorSE off pEr month.


by maud orr, pharmacy Development manager, numark


I


n the top 20 biggest reimbursement changes are eight strengths of pregabalin, which are down by 95-


98 per cent, with no category m increases for august 2017.


Virtually every pharmacy I visited recently spoke about this and how they were looking at all avenues to retain and regain profit margin. from purchasing, to restructuring their services - including travel and flu pgDs, mUrs and otc business - a few even spoke about botox enhancements (I of course offered myself to assist them with training for this).


but seriously, I was constantly told they were confused, with so many offering all sorts of the ‘so-called best deals’. they mostly all said they were spending so much time


chasing pennies and wasting time, when they could be interacting with their customers.


as far as I know, some 123,000 people use community pharmacies every day in northern Ireland and this is a huge opportunity for all pharmacies.


now, I personally am a firm believer in martin lewis’s advice when it comes to buying anything, renewing insurance policies etc. at home we will always use a comparison website to save time and money as no one can price watch every single price, and we all know the benefits of comparison sites and the benefits of using It.


almost 700 members are currently using our pharmassist It buying solution to manage their purchasing, and to increase profits. a member in


northern Ireland recently told me he increased his bottom line by three per cent. It also freed up his time to review his business and prioritise his time to grow services and business opportunities, while protecting his brand supports - anD was all done under his instruction and control.


another pharmacist who was also recently looking into all aspects of his business, reviewed the renewal of his insurances and saved over £500 by switching his commercial insurance to numark insurances. this was the first step in his full review, which includes both purchasing and looking at It solutions including EpoS and a pmr to help him develop his services.


the review also included using a delivery It solution to cut costs on fuel and to implement changes to make his delivery service more efficient. he will also be reviewing all


of his front of shop to maximise every inch of space with current planograms and space allocation.


When visiting numark members, I am always reminded of martin lewis’ mantra in life: ‘I want to teach people to keep money in their pockets. If I can do the same with members on a daily basis that will do for me.’ •


retirement beckons respected pharmacy stalwart


numark managing Director, John D’arcy, is to retire from his position at the end of January 2018, after ten years’ service with the symbol group and 37 years within the industry.


John has had an extensive career, qualifying as a pharmacist in 1980 and undertaking a number of community pharmacy management positions before joining the national pharmacy association (npa) in 1990.


he specialised in supporting community pharmacies with legal, ethical and nhS issues and in 1994 gained a bachelor of law (llb). In


40 - pharmacY In focUS


1996, he was appointed chief Executive for the association.


after 17 years with the npa, John joined rowlands pharmacy as commercial Director and, after a brief interim spell at numark in 2008, he was formally appointed numark’s managing Director in 2010.


John has been hugely influential in shaping the business during his tenure, developing depth and breadth in the company’s product and service portfolio, and assisting members through some challenging times and momentous industry change.


throughout his pharmacy career, John has had a prolific public presence. Indeed, he has relentlessly championed the cause for community pharmacy - particularly independent pharmacy - and has been vocal in promoting the sector and fighting its corner during his many years of service.


his passion, commitment and insight for pharmacy is enduring and, whilst he will be ‘stepping out of the limelight’ and relinquishing his title of managing Director, he will remain as numark chairman for a period of at least two years to oversee the ongoing progression of the company.


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