INEFFICIENCY IS NOT ABOUT A LACK OF EFFORT OR DEDICATION. IN FACT, MOST TEAMS ARE WORKING HARDER THAN EVER
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What works better: Automation is a game- changer here. Tools like Drug Comparison, e-CASS, Alliance Switch and others allow pharmacies to: • Compare prices in real time • Automate purchasing decisions • Avoid over-tariff costs • Maintain continuity even when key staff are off
By delegating stock management to trained dispensers or technicians, guided by analytics, pharmacists gain back valuable time for services and clinical tasks.
Ask yourself: Is stock ordering a shared, structured and optimised process in your pharmacy - or still dependent on one person?
6. Dispensary Layout Inefficiencies The problem: An overlooked factor in operational efficiency is layout. In many pharmacies, high-use medicines are stored in difficult-to-reach areas. This wastes time, creates unnecessary movement and contributes to fatigue.
What works better: Start with a layout audit. Use PMR reports to identify your most dispensed 20 - 30 products and move them closer to the dispensing bench. Add clear, colour-coded labelling and logical grouping by category or condition.
Introduce a system for: • Short-dated stock • Returns and quarantines • Delivery prep zones
Streamlining stock flow, particularly during restocking, saves time and prevents confusion. Several teams also restructured their delivery unpacking process to ensure minimal disruption and faster integration into shelves. Small changes here often lead to big efficiency gains.
7. The Pharmacist’s Role in Dispensing The problem: Despite the shift toward clinical services, many pharmacists are still heavily involved in dispensing, doing tasks like labelling, bagging or picking items. This is not only inefficient but also a poor use of clinical skill and resource.
What works better: Successful teams, redefined roles and remapped workflows. They identified where pharmacists were being pulled into operational gaps and made better use of ACTs, dispensers and PMR accuracy-checking tools.
Some also moved the clinical check to the beginning of the process, so baskets were not stuck waiting for final approval. This helped maintain momentum and let the pharmacist focus on: • Clinical services • Patient consultations • Staff supervision • Business and team development
Freeing the pharmacist helps the whole team thrive.
The Emotional and Financial Case for Efficiency Operational inefficiency costs money and wears people down. Stress builds. Morale drops.
Patients feel it too. But with even small process improvements, teams feel more in control. They gain headspace, reclaim energy and can focus on services that really make a difference. Instead of just ‘getting through the day’, your team is leading the way forward.
Getting Started: Where Will You Begin? You do not have to fix everything overnight. Choose one insight that speaks to your team’s current struggles and take one small step: • Explore PMR features you are not using • Introduce a five-minute morning huddle • Rearrange your top-dispensed products • Assign someone to own the owings process
Each of these small wins builds momentum.
Need Help Making It Happen? At ReviveRx, we help community pharmacies assess and improve operational efficiency, one smart change at a time. If you are ready to go from firefighting to forward momentum, we are here for you.
Learn more at
www.reviverx.co.uk Contact us at
hello@reviverx.co.uk
Let’s build a pharmacy workflow that works for you, not against you.
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