Supporting the NHS – a Q&A with Kara Richards, Alcura nurse

Earlier this month we celebrated 75 years of the NHS. This prompted us to take a closer look at how we support our amazing National Health Service. In the first of a series of three interviews with Alliance Healthcare team members – we caught up with Kara Richards one of our Alcura nurses.

Alcura supports the NHS with both straightforward and complex patient needs through a comprehensive end-to-end service, to enable patients to receive care out of the hospital environment. 

Kara is the Operations Manager for the field team and manages the Alcura nursing team on a day-to-day basis. The team consists of 45 registered nurses who provide service to patients from NHS trusts across the whole of the UK.

As a registered nurse herself, Kara did her training at a hospital in Milton Keynes and has worked in various areas across the NHS covering all aspects of nursing in hospitals, the community, as well as the private sector supporting the NHS. She has always supported NHS patients and worked with the organisation to manage their care of patients by providing additional support and resources. 

When asked how she would sum up her experience of working with the NHS, Kara said:

“I started my career in the NHS and its where my true passion for nursing started. I think it's a fantastic organisation and I am very proud to have worked with them and of the support that we (Alcura) are able to offer them. Any help that we're able to give to support and work collaboratively within the NHS is just a positive thing. It would also be great to grow and innovate what we can offer to the NHS, the work that we do is very beneficial to our communities.”

Do you have one person you link to at the NHS or are you all inter linked?

“We deal directly with them and the clinical teams will have a contact escalation matrix if there are any issues they need to raise. I speak to the clinical nurse teams, the clinical home care pharmacists, consultants, and clinicians. We have review meetings for some of our services on a regular basis just to ensure that the service we're providing is suitable. We also work closely with our hospital account managers and the commercial and manufacturing account managers - communication between the two teams is important and done well.”

What was your experience of working and supporting the NHS during the pandemic?

“I worked in the field team as the pandemic started and we managed to continue all the services we provided pre-COVID without any disruption. The patients we cared for were very vulnerable, immunosuppressed and couldn’t go into clinics as they would do normally, so we played a vital role at that stage. Alcura nurses provided a continuous feedback link with the Trust, writing up detailed reviews of their patients, letting the NHS know if there were any clinical issues that needed escalating or raising. 

It wasn’t just about the physical giving of the medication but also the holistic, safeguarding, and mental health care too. It was a really difficult time for those in hospital as they were facing COVID head on, so we were able to really support those patients that were vulnerable in the community that may have not been monitored as closely. The support we got from the NHS and from the PPE suppliers meant that our nurses could continue working. I was told there was no delay in any treatment during that whole time frame. We just continued to follow NHS England guidelines and worked with the NCHA to ensure that our nurses stayed safe.”

How did you celebrate the milestone Birthday at Alliance Healthcare?

“We had tea and cake stations around the building as we joined in with the NHS Big Tea to celebrate. We also raised money for NHS charities and team members joined in with ‘wear it blue’ day.”
 

Happy 75th Birthday to the NHS!

Wednesday 5 July marked 75 years of our amazing National Health Service (NHS).

Marie Evans, Managing Director, Alliance Healthcare UK said: 

“Today marks 75 years of our fantastic NHS, and we would like to take a moment to thank all the healthcare professionals who work tirelessly each day to keep our vital service running. This significant anniversary presents an opportunity for us all to stop and consider just how lucky we are that the National Health Service gives us comprehensive access to healthcare, free at the point of delivery, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 

“We’re so proud that we work alongside them, supplying one in every three medicines taken by NHS patients and serving over 17,000 pharmacies, doctors, hospitals and health centres across the UK. At Alliance Healthcare UK we’re marking the occasion with lots of activity across our sites including local tea parties and encouraging our team members to wear blue on the day itself.”

At Alliance Healthcare UK team members across our sites got together to celebrate by wearing blue and taking part in activities such as bake sales and tea parties.

Stock update from Novo Nordisk – 14 June 2023

Stock update from Novo Nordisk on: Rybelsus®, Ozempic®, Saxenda®, and Victoza®

Please click here for full information.

LATEST: Ozempic®▼ (semaglutide) for adults living with type 2 diabetes in the UK

Message from Novo Nordisk UK, correct as of 14 June 2023.

Novo Nordisk UK is aware of intermittent stock shortages of Ozempic® ▼(semaglutide)  in the UK. Unprecedented levels of demand for this medicine have tested our manufacturing capacity.  Whilst we continue to increase our capacity significantly, our present supply does not always meet this excess demand, which has led to intermittent supply which is expected to last into 2024.

The shortage is not because of any safety or quality related concern with Ozempic.

During this shortage period, as per DHSC (Department of Health & Social Care) recommendation, no new patients should be initiated on Ozempic so that available stock can be used for existing patients.

We understand the uncertainty and concern this shortage may cause people living with diabetes. This is not something we are taking lightly, and we are working hard to solve these challenges.

Alliance Healthcare UK Supports Medicines to Ukraine Campaign

The Medicines to Ukraine pharmacy appeal is led by The Healthcare Distribution Association (HDA), Pharmacists' Defence Association (PDA), and National Pharmacy Association (NPA) in the UK, who are urging pharmacy teams to promote the campaign to customers and members of the public to raise funds.

Alliance Healthcare UK has supported the Medicine to Ukraine campaign through its distribution network; via a coordinated, country-wide poster drop to UK pharmacy stores.

Over 15,000 Medicines to Ukraine posters have been delivered to pharmacies across the UK. The posters are already in pharmacy windows across Europe raising awareness of the campaign.

The Medicines to Ukraine campaign is part of a pan-European effort established by Employed Pharmacists in Europe (EPhEU). The campaign procures and sends specialist hospital medicines that are running low or that are no longer available in Ukraine directly to Ukrainian hospitals that are treating the casualties of the war.

Roughly £220,000 has been raised via the appeal in the UK alone and a total of £3 million has been raised across Europe to date.

Martin Sawer, Executive Director of HDA commented: “Our member companies’ distribution networks ensure a comprehensive, resilient and efficient supply system is always there for community pharmacies, hospitals and dispensing doctors. The Association is delighted that an HDA distributor is making use of its own intensive national network to enable this vital campaign.”

Matt Addison, Operations Director at Alliance Healthcare, said: “Each of the 16,500 pharmacies that we supply each day will play an important role in raising awareness of the Medicines to Ukraine campaign. Alliance Healthcare is fortunate to have an operation ready to help our pharmacy customers activate this important appeal and play its part to help those impacted by the war in Ukraine.”

Alliance Healthcare has previously supported on several similar leaflets drops in support of pharmacy, campaigns including the NHS "Stay Well This Winter" campaign.

Alliance Healthcare UK Launches Advisory Board

Alliance Healthcare UK is a leading wholesaler of medicines and healthcare products and serves over 17,000 healthcare providers including community pharmacies, GPs, hospitals, and health centres.

The Advisory Board consists of senior experts from the healthcare sector and provides an invaluable source of advice, ensuring Alliance Healthcare UK’s strategic programme is aligned to NHS priorities and delivers real value to UK patients. 

The Advisory Board is chaired by Alliance Healthcare UK’s Non-Executive Adviser, Chris Martin and has four members: Lord O’Shaughnessy, former Department of Health Minister and Director of the No.10 policy unit; Jeannette Howe, former head of Pharmacy at the Department for Health and Social Care; Claire Ward, Chair of Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and former MP for Watford (1997 – 2010) who served as PPS for the Department for Health (2001-2005) and Justice Minister; Fin McCaul, Managing Director of Prestwich Pharmacy and Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

The Advisory Board has met twice this year at Alliance Healthcare UK’s headquarters in Chessington and will meet quarterly in 2023.

Marie Evans, Managing Director of Alliance Healthcare UK, said: “The Advisory Board is an invaluable resource, bringing great knowledge and experience to challenge Alliance Healthcare UK’s strategy as we continue to support community pharmacy and ensure that our service development priorities align to those of the NHS and improve the lives of patients.”

Find out more about our board members by clicking here.

Almus product wins Pharmacy Product of the Year 2023

Alliance Healthcare are proud and delighted to share that our own brand product, Almus Erectile Dysfunction Relief 50mg Film Coated Tablets, won Pharmacy Product of the Year 2023 (Sexual Health category) as voted by independent pharmacists in the UK. 

Run by the Independent Community Pharmacist magazine (part of the Communications International Group), the Pharmacy Product of the Year Awards celebrates their 13th year of recognising exceptional brands and their commitment to independent pharmacies as they strive to improve the service they offer to their patients. Independent pharmacists and, for the first time, consumers, have voted on the most popular and best-selling over the counter products in a range of categories in independent pharmacies across the country.

Tara Dew, Own Brand Manager says: “This is fantastic news for our own brand Almus OTC, and just shows how much we’ve grown as a brand over the last few years. This success follows on from last year’s MVP Awards, which the product was shortlisted for Most Valued Product of the Year 2022, together with Almus Ibuprofen and Codeine 200mg/12.8mg Tablets (32s) and Almus Cold Sore 1% w/w Cream”.

Click here to view the March issue of ICP magazine.

You can also view the full Pharmacy Product of the Year Winners feature here.

AmerisourceBergen Announces Intent to Change Name to Cencora

Unified corporate identity reflects the organization’s global reach, impact, and purpose

CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa. (January 24, 2023) – AmerisourceBergen (NYSE: ABC) today announced its intent to change its name to better reflect its bold vision and purpose-driven approach to creating healthier futures. AmerisourceBergen intends to become Cencora. The new name represents a unified presence that will continue to fuel the company’s ongoing growth strategy and advance its impact across healthcare.

“Over time, we have established ourselves as a trusted industry partner that prioritizes innovation, advocates for patient access and advances strategic partnerships across the global pharmaceutical supply chain. To further bolster our position, we must continue to adapt and evolve within our dynamic industry as we pursue the goal of enhancing health outcomes. Building a unified brand is fundamental to our identity as a global healthcare company. We believe our new name better reflects who we are today and our impact across pharmaceutical care,” said Steven H. Collis, Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer of AmerisourceBergen.

The name Cencora is inspired by customers and team members around the world. In addition, a shared identity will create a more inclusive experience for employees as well as a stronger employer brand to attract talent and increase employee loyalty, retention, and performance. The name tells a compelling story, boldly differentiates the company, and was created with a future-oriented mindset. AmerisourceBergen intends to begin operating as Cencora in the second half of calendar year 2023.

Marie Evans, Managing Director, Alliance Healthcare in the UK said: “Since Alliance Healthcare joined AmerisourceBergen, we have been able to expand, evolve, and innovate on each other’s best-in-class expertise and capabilities across the pharmaceutical supply chain. Aligning under a new brand experience will further enable us to build new services, support healthcare advancements around the world, and deliver quality service for customers even more effectively as one, united organisation. Together, our teams are working with a collective determination to create a meaningful impact across healthcare.”

The change to Cencora is aligned with the organization’s growth strategy and continued emphasis on innovation. AmerisourceBergen has focused on supporting pharmaceutical advancement and access for patients, manufacturers, and providers across the global healthcare supply chain. 

Operating as Cencora, a unified and internationally inclusive name and brand, the company will continue to invest in and focus on its core pharmaceutical distribution business, while also growing its platform of pharma and biopharma services to support pharmaceutical innovation and access.

For more information, visit: www.cencora.com/uk

It’s been just over a year since we made our sustainability pledge

At Alliance Healthcare, we are united in our responsibility to create healthier futures.

On 1 December 2021, we announced our pledge to become Net Carbon Zero by 2030 (scope 1 and 2). We recognise that there is still much more to do, but a lot of work has been done already across the business in this time to bring us closer to achieving our commitment. 

Our ambition is to be the largest independent sustainable pharmaceutical wholesaler in the UK by 2030. Take a look at our sustainability video to see how far we have come on our journey so far…

Gary’s Our Man of the Month

In an age when most people want fame and fortune, Chessington Service Centre delivery driver, Gary Foreman, is a rare exception. Gary’s been serving his pharmacy customers since 1992 and that’s probably why he’s been recognised in the January edition of Training Matters magazine in a Staff in the Spotlight article.

“I’ve got customers who are pharmacists now that I met when they were seven or eight years old” reminisces Gary. “They’re the sons and daughters of the original owners who grew up and went to university and have come back and taken over!” 
Gary joined Alliance Healthcare in 1992. “I’ve been here nearly 31 years and I’ve done the same route for the last 26,” he says. “I started as a porter and then applied to be a van driver. Best job I’ve ever done!”

Over the last 30 years, new technology has made the job easier. A key innovation for Gary is the Smartpod which logs his route, the products for each drop and driver performance. “When I first started, they literally wrote everything on a bit of paper. This is so much easier.”

Gary enjoys the customer contact the most. “Customers make the job easy for me. I have a good chat with them, they have a good chat with me and I like being out and about driving. I wouldn’t swap it for anything,” he says. And we’re sure his customers wouldn’t swop him either. Well done Gary.

Read the full article:

Gary Foreman – Staff in the Spotlight