Blog
Pharmacy in the States by Eric, PHD student, USA
Industry structure Pharmacies and drug stores in the states are engaged in the retailing business of four core product categories: prescriptions, over-the-counter (OTC) medications, toiletries and cosmetics, with the most important two segments being prescriptions and...
Standard Operating Procedures – are yours fit for purpose?
During the course of our work we see many SOPs and often come across procedures that are difficult to read and do not clearly describe the procedure. A long SOP does not necessarily make it a good one! When writing an SOP it is worth thinking about what its purpose is...
Can you afford to take the risk?
Over the past few years we have seen a move towards risk based quality systems with risk being emphasised much more in the new Guidelines for Good Distribution Practices. But what does this mean to you and how do you put it into practice? The thing with risk...
KEEP UP TO DATE – KEEP COMPLIANT!
We are living in a fast moving regulatory environment which has to address advances in products & technology, changing practices, safety issues, global markets and much more. Not keeping up with these changes can present a threat to the compliancy of your...
MHRA website move
The MHRA, along with hundreds of government websites will be moving to GOV.UK over the next few months. The new website will look very different from the current website. To help users find their way around the site, the MHRA will let us see the information on GOV.UK...
Wholesale Distribution Authorisation Applications
From the 22nd April the MHRA only accept new applications for wholesale distribution authorisations via the MHRA Process Licensing Portal – https://pclportal.mhra.gov.uk. The MHRA have issued two useful guidance documents on how to use the portal: a) Using the portal...
Bona-Fides – your new employees
This is only a quick blog item for now but we do spend a lot of time consulting to medicines wholesalers about the bona-fides they need to check and collect when qualifying new customer and new suppliers. We stress the need for such qualifying processes and of course...
Partnership Agreements – keep them relevant and up-to-date
If you're a business owner and part of a partnership it is imperative that you have an up-to-date and relevant partnership agreement. And no I'm not talking about the template your lawyer pulled out all those years ago or the copy gathering dust in the archives. Not...
CQC and care by surveillance?
In the office here, we followed a lively LinkedIn discussion talking about the use of cameras in a care home setting and whether such technology could be useful, is invasive or is wanted by the patient and their family. Many good points were raised including: 1. Well...
Buying a Pharmacy
What's on the market now? What can you afford? And what's a good investment? I often talk to pharmacists wanting to buy their own pharmacy and enter the market as a business owner. I want be my own boss, I'm sick of being employed and I'm ready to do this are common...
NHS Litigation Authority
The NHS Litigation Authority have recently published statistics on their website relating to appeals for pharmacy contracts. The number of appeals since the new market entry regulations has decreased however this may be a market anomaly as applicants get their heads...
Technology in Health and the emergence of Apple
It was announced earlier this month that Apple were launching their own healthcare and fitness app called HealthKit. The app is part of iOS8 and has the potential to communicate patient health data to hospitals and clinicians. The idea behind all of this is Apple's...