PRIVATE SERVICES WON’T SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM, BUT THEY ARE A STEP TOWARD RESILIENCE, AUTONOMY AND SUSTAINABILITY
Success Stories – What’s Working Scottish Pharmacist caught up with Jonathan Burton, community pharmacy, Stirling to hear about his experiences with setting up private services:
What motivated you to start offering private clinical services? We felt it was important to have a good balance of NHS and private services offered through our pharmacies, both from an income stream and patient choice point of view. The services also give pharmacists and their teams the opportunity to expand their healthcare role and many of the services are complementary to those provided through NHS funding models e.g. vaccination.
Which services are most in demand across your branches? Weight loss services are the most talked about and in demand aspect of private work, which is no surprise given the attention that new weight loss medicines are receiving. Vaccination services have been, and I think always will be, a core aspect of private healthcare services, especially travel health, but also Covid
vaccination and of course seasonal influenza. There are other private services which are popular too, such as erectile dysfunction, period delay and chickenpox vaccination.
Has technology supported your ability to scale or standardise service delivery? Appointment booking systems are really useful. I was sceptical at first but having a solid online booking system for patients is important if you are taking more and more appointments - it drives business but also keeps things organised. There are also some great products on the market that can help with clinic records and patient communications and records.
How important is training to the success of private services at branch level? For pharmacists offering private clinic appointments being competent and confident with the different areas of practice is of course crucial. Specific training will be essential in some areas e.g. travel health, but other clinic services may not come with an 'off the shelf' training package and it will be up to pharmacists to
mould their CPD around relevant topics so they can be sure they are working within their area of competence.
What advice would you give to other pharmacy teams beginning this journey? Be prepared! Think about which services will work best with your patient population and what training and preparation you'll need to be able to offer the services safely and efficiently. Will you have to buy and use PGDs, or do you have independent prescribing pharmacists who can run the service and issue prescriptions where appropriate? Insurance is vitally important too, make sure you are covered, speak to your existing insurer to see if you need any additional cover.
Pharmacies have found success with offering a mix of services - often depending on local demographics, skillsets and available space. There is a common thread - the pharmacies getting it right are those who actively listen to their patients, respond to local demand and build internal structures to support consistent, professional delivery.
Community pharmacy in Scotland needs new solutions. Private services won’t solve every problem, but they are a step toward resilience, autonomy and sustainability.
Private Services build upon what you already do well – trust from your community, the ease of access to care - and creating an opportunity that strengthens both your business and your community.
Make sure you come along to the Scottish Pharmacy Retail Show and Scottish Pharmacy Trade Show to find out more about offering these private services. Check out pages 12 and 38 to book your place. Your next step starts here.
WEIGHT LOSS SERVICES ARE THE MOST IN DEMAND ASPECT OF PRIVATE WORK
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