Championing Community Pharmacy

Julian Mount, Managing Director, Alliance Healthcare joins industry leadership panel to discuss the future of pharmacy at the Pharmacy Business Conference 2021.

When asked about how community pharmacy can build on the current public goodwill rating, Julian highlighted the great work done by community pharmacy, but also the need going forward for a joined-up approach when lobbying for further support: “I have been blown away by the effort everyone has put in during the COVID crisis, the trust score really highlights what is happening at grassroots level. When I see the passion, drive, and energy, it has been phenomenal” Julian went on to add: “What needs to happen next is we need to see a united, more data driven unified approach to make the government sit up and listen and further support community pharmacy to allow them to take advantage of the great work done throughout COVID -19.”

We’ve created a 10-minute highlights video from the event that can be seen below.

Alliance Healthcare supports the AWARE Foundation at annual Golf Day event

As part of our continued efforts to help young people, our team recently supported the AWARE Foundationwith its annual Golf Day event at Langley Park Golf Club. The AWARE Foundation helps disadvantaged, vulnerable children in India by providing them with an education to transform their lives for the better.

The event saw 120 delegates take part in the golf tournament where 32 teams competed to win numerous categories, in an effort to help raise much needed funds. Alliance Healthcare supported the fundraising event by donating prizes that were put into the evening raffle and auction. Ashley Kilgas, Sales Director represented the business, saying “It’s great to be back attending these charity events to support an amazing cause. We have a fantastic relationship with the AWARE Foundation, and I am excited to see how our partnership will grow even stronger.”

The golf day was a huge success and raised an incredible £28,682. Jayesh Patel, Founder/Managing Trustee of the AWARE Foundation commented: “AWARE helps thousands of children each year, and this is only possible because of the dedicated support that we have - Alliance Healthcare being one of our most fundamental ones. So thank you so much again for your support, and we look forward to working with and seeing you all again soon.”

To find out more about the AWARE foundation, you can click the following link here.

Sobha Kandel wins Pharmacy Innovation Award, sponsored by Alliance Healthcare at Independent Community Pharmacy Awards 2021

The Independent Pharmacy Awards, run in association with Independent Community Pharmacist magazine, once again shone a light on the brilliant work of community pharmacy teams.
 
The event drew an audience of MPs, leading figures within community pharmacy and pharmaceutical industry executives who heard about the innovative work going on within the sector.

Julian Mount, Managing Director, Alliance Healthcare and other senior managers from across the business attended the awards held at the House of Commons last Friday afternoon. Alliance Healthcare were the official sponsor of the Pharmacy Innovation award category. 

Sobha Kandel, who runs Woolwich Late Night Pharmacy won the Innovation Award after her hotel COVID - 19 quarantine service caught the judges’ eye. The service is run in conjunction with Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group and Ms Kandel's pharmacy supplies OTC and prescription medications to patients isolating in the hotel. She has an exclusive contract in her area for the service and works with the GP practice.

When presenting the award, Julian said: “This has been a very challenging year for all of community pharmacy, and to be able to recognise Sobha’s achievement to continue to innovate within her community despite these challenges, is a remarkable achievement” 

Congratulations again to Sobha and her team on winning the award. To find out more information about the other award winners click here.

AmerisourceBergen Supports Global Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccines

Through its network of global businesses and capabilities, AmerisourceBergen has supported the delivery of more than 75 million COVID-19 vaccines across 30-plus countries

Conshohocken, Pa. (October 6, 2021) –  As part of efforts to securely deliver COVID-19 vaccines to countries worldwide, AmerisourceBergen’s network of global businesses has supported the collective distribution of more than 75 million vaccines across 30-plus countries.

Since December 2020, Innomar Strategies and World Courier, both a part of AmerisourceBergen, have worked with various government agencies and supply chain partners to deliver COVID-19 vaccines across the world. During the same timeframe, Alliance Healthcare—which AmerisourceBergen acquired in June from Walgreens Boots Alliance—has supported vaccine distribution efforts across Europe. The collective distribution support spans four continents and includes a wide range of services, from third-party logistics (3PL) and importation to temperature-controlled packaging, storage, and transport.

“We are incredibly proud of the support our teams continue to provide to enable reliable access to COVID-19 vaccines around the world—from islands off Norway to remote regions in northern Canada. However, we know the global vaccination rollout is still in its early stages and a tremendous amount of work is still needed to ensure people worldwide have access to these vaccines,” said Doug Cook, EVP and President, Business Group—Global, at AmerisourceBergen. “As supply increases, we remain prepared and ready to leverage our logistical expertise and distribution capabilities to support urgent efforts to broaden access globally.”

To date, AmerisourceBergen’s distribution efforts include:

• Alliance Healthcare, a leading wholesaler of healthcare products, and Alloga, its healthcare logistics provider, have distributed more than 40 million COVID-19 vaccines across Europe, including deliveries in England, Spain, France, Czech Republic and Lithuania. In collaboration with the National Health Service (NHS), Alliance Healthcare UK and Alloga UK have delivered about 25 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to nearly 1,500 sites across England. Alloga Spain, which has participated in regional and national distribution efforts, has delivered 14 million COVID-19 vaccines, while Alliance Healthcare businesses in France and Czech Republic along with Armila UAB, Alliance Healthcare’s wholesale business in Lithuania, have distributed millions of vaccines across the three countries. Team members across Europe, including Boots pharmacies in Norway, have also supported vaccine administration efforts.

• Innomar Strategies, in collaboration with the Government of Canada and FedEx Express Canada, has distributed more than 22 million COVID-19 vaccines to provinces and territories across Canada. In its role, Innomar stores new shipments of COVID-19 vaccines in temperature-controlled units inside its GMP-compliant distribution center in Ontario, where teams perform the required quality assurance services, including physical inspection and identity confirmation. Teams then place the vaccines into validated cold-chain packaging solutions that protect the product integrity throughout the shipment, enabling reliable and secure distribution.  

• World Courier, a global logistics provider, has supported the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to more than 30 countries worldwide—from South Africa and South Korea to Germany, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Sweden. The business has deployed a wide range of services to support deliveries, including cold chain packaging, like Cocoon, and smart-monitoring tools that deliver real-time data and provide proof of shipment stability. Leveraging its global network and innovative packaging solutions, World Courier has supported last-mile deliveries to points across the globe—from areas with limited cold chain infrastructure to remote islands only accessible by boat. The business is also providing transport and storage services to support clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines and therapies.  

“As a leading pharmaceutical wholesaler and logistics provider in Europe, Alliance Healthcare has been working throughout the COVID-19 pandemic to safeguard the supply chain and ensure access to critical pharmaceutical products,” said Juan Guerra, SVP and Managing Director at Alliance Healthcare. “Since the first COVID-19 vaccines became available, we’ve been able to leverage our best-in-class distribution capabilities to support reliable, secure and efficient deliveries throughout Europe.”

The ongoing distribution support is part of urgent efforts to deliver COVID-19 vaccines across the world.

As of late September, about 44 percent of the world’s population had received at least one dose of a vaccine. However, only two percent of people in low-income countries have received a dose.

In addition to supporting global vaccine distribution efforts, AmerisourceBergen has worked closely with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to distribute COVID-19 therapies that have been approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or received Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). In collaboration with the U.S. government and a manufacturer partner, AmerisourceBergen also facilitated the urgent transportation of COVID-19 therapies to India in May. For more information about how AmerisourceBergen is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, please visit: https://www.amerisourcebergen.com/pharmaceutical-distribution/coronavirus-covid-19-information.

Alliance Healthcare's triumphant trio have completed the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon!

On Sunday 3 October, three of our fantastic colleagues completed the 2021 Virgin Money London Marathon. Richard Janes, Alphega Pharmacy, Nick Atkins, Swansea Service Centre and Tierney Dashwood, Support Centre all completed the marathon in under five hours in aid of Action Medical Research, one of our chosen charities.

Richard Janes, Head of Alphega Pharmacy Retail commented on his experience: “If you’ve ever considered running a marathon just go for it; the London Marathon is truly an inspiring event. The atmosphere was incredible and knowing I was raising money for such a worthy charity made it all the more special. I wanted to finish in under five hours and I achieved that. It was tough going but support from family, friends, colleagues from Alliance Healthcare and the charity made it worth all the effort. Loved it!”

Tierney Dashwood, Key Account Manager said: “The London Marathon was such an amazing experience, running around London and the support of the crowds was so uplifting! – could do it all over again!”

Nick Atkins, Fleet and Transport Manger added: “I finally completed the London Marathon after many years of trying to secure a ballot place - and it was well worth it! This was my first time and I was delighted to receive a place through Alliance Healthcare’s charity ballot - raising funds for Action Medical Research. I feel like I endured everything along the 26.2 miles, including cramp and wonderful encouragement from the crowd, one lady literally helped me with my cramp challenge (in both legs!).

I am delighted to have completed the marathon, and in under 5 hours with a time of 4:55:42. I have some truly fantastic memories and I’m relieved I took this week off to recover. Thank you to everyone who supported me, I am incredibly humbled by the whole experience!”

Laura Webb, Support Centre also completed the virtual marathon and Hannah Simpson, Support Centre, completed the official virtual walking marathon raising further funds for Action Medical Research.

Hannah Simpson commented on her Marathon journey and said: “I decided to tackle the Virtual London Marathon in 2021 as a personal challenge in the year that I turned 40. I walked with five of my best friends and none of us could be described as fitness people! However, we trained hard and we completed the walk together. I feel such a sense of achievement and I can’t wait to get my medal in the post. Action Medical Research have been very grateful and supportive. I had contact from them before the day and since then they have commented on my sponsorship efforts online.”

Toby Tennant, a representative from Action Medical Research added: “None of our research would be possible without the active work of people like Nick, Tierney, Richard, Hannah and the people behind them from Alliance Healthcare. A huge thank you for all your efforts and the impact you are making on children and their families for years to come.”

Alliance Healthcare and our colleagues are proud to continue our efforts to raise vital funds for this fantastic charity, so that they can carry on their mission to save and change children’s lives through medical research, developing treatments, vaccinations and cures.

Alliance Healthcare comments on recent Health Secretary appreciation for community pharmacy

Alliance Healthcare welcomes the recent* acknowledgement and praise from the current Health Secretary Sajid Javid, applauding the tremendous efforts of community pharmacy over the COVID-19 period.

We would like to echo the sentiment that community pharmacy gets the support it needs to continue the work it is doing in serving the local communities.

We encourage the Health Secretary to engage with the sector regularly to understand its needs and pressures and extend that invitation to Alliance Healthcare – the largest independent pharmaceutical wholesaler in the UK.

We strongly believe that the COVID-19 vaccination programme has been crucial in saving lives and aiding the recovery of our economy. Community pharmacy has stepped up and delivered support to the UK patient once again. We would like to once again praise our fantastic Alphega Pharmacy members that have engaged with the vaccination roll-out and to our pre-wholesale colleagues at Alloga who have been pivotal in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations.

Alliance Healthcare Marks National Customer Service Week

Alliance Healthcare marks National Customer Service Week with a week-long internal engagement event for its 5,500 colleagues.

 Commencing on Monday 04 October and through the week, the UK’s largest independent pharmaceutical wholesaler Alliance Healthcare will hold a number of internal educational activities in parallel to the daily themes set out by the Institute of Customer Service, to raise awareness of customer service and the vital role it plays in successful business practice and the growth of the UK economy.

Every day the team will be exploring a new theme linked to Customer Service and these are:

• Monday – The Changing World of Work

• Tuesday – Service with Respect Day

• Wednesday – Essential Customer Service Skills & Capabilities

• Thursday – Effective Strategy & Focused Leadership

• Friday – Give your customer service heroes the Recognition they deserve

 Throughout the week the Alliance Healthcare Customer Service Team will enjoy a series of games and prizes across its virtual office. In recognition of Monday’s theme, the changing world of work, colleagues will share stories and photos of their time working from home featuring children and pets. On Friday, the theme is ‘Give your customer service heroes the recognition they deserve’ and service agents will guess the manager behind the Superhero photo.

Julian Mount, Managing Director, Alliance Healthcare UK said: “Great customer service should be at the heart of every business and I feel it is something we do exceptionally well at Alliance Healthcare. I recognise that it is not an easy environment for a pharmaceutical wholesale business like Alliance Healthcare to operate in right now; with challenges from COVID absenteeism right through to fuel shortages. Despite this, everyone at Alliance Healthcare is working extremely hard to reassure our customers we are doing everything possible to deliver life-saving medicines for their patients. Our colleague’s commitment is something we are very proud of and I am personally very thankful to them all.”

 In recognition of the value of customer service, Alliance Healthcare is a member of the Institute of Customer Service - an organisation that exists to improve business performance by improving the customer experience.

Vicki Martin, Head of Customer Service, Alliance Healthcare UK said: “We are really pleased to have joined the Institute of Customer Service and National Customer Service Week is our chance to promote the importance of delivering great customer service as well as to take the opportunity to recognise the great work our people do every day, both within Customer Service and around the business.

UPDATE: Ordering Lateral Flow tests – PIP codes - 04 October

Please see below for the various PIP codes you can use to order lateral flow tests. 

If one of the English pip codes appears to be out of stock, please check the other as we have good stock levels and receive daily replenishment. 

Please be advised that for the Flowflex test kits (pip 8033680), the Lot numbers can be found on the outside of the box of 7s.

Please allow 3 working days for receipt of orders placed for this product.

REGION                  PIP CODE                PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

England                   8943037                  DHSC INNOVA COV19 RAPIDTEST (7)

England                   8033680                 DHSC FLOWFLEX COV TEST KITS (7)

Scotland                  8031338                  NHS SCOT COV19 RAPIDTEST (7)

Scotland                  8037673                  NHS SCOT O GENE TEST KITS (7)

Wales                       8943730                 NHS WALES COV19 RAPIDTEST (7)

Continuing to strive for business-as-usual service amidst the current fuel supply challenge and driver shortage

The on-going national fuel supply challenge, along with continued driver shortages, will continue to impact our service offering in some areas of the UK. As a business we are doing everything we can in partnership with our suppliers to offer the best service possible.

We’re implementing contingency plans
We continue to work with all stakeholders on various initiatives to mitigate the problem and implement contingency plans wherever possible.

These plans include:

• On-going use of bunkered fuel on site across the majority of our service centres, with increased delivery arrangements. 

• Additional fuel cards to drivers at this time, which allows the use of more fuel stations across the country.  We are also asking drivers to top up where necessary, if they see a fuel station where this is possible.

• Where we have fuel deliveries directly to site, we have upped the quantities being delivered during this time to mitigate any risk.

• We are in regular contact with suppliers and continue to see adequate stock supply with regular inbound deliveries.

• Should the government implement tactics to further mitigate the fuel supply risks, then our driver as a Priority 2 worker, will have be granted critical access to fuel.

We are truly grateful to our operational colleagues and drivers at this time, for their personal efforts, as we strive for business-as-usual service.

Recruitment drive
While driver shortages continue across the country, we have seen success from our on-going recruitment drive. New drivers are joining regularly and are being trained quickly and efficiently across the network.

We’re working hard to support you
As the UK’s largest independent pharmaceutical wholesaler, we take our responsibility to maintain UK medicine supply very seriously. Our main aim, as ever, is to provide a service to our customers and, in turn, patients across the UK.

We will continue to keep you updated on the situation as it evolves and thank you for your understanding.

Continuing to strive for business-as-usual service as fuel challenges develop and driver shortages continue

The national fuel supply challenge, along with continued driver shortages, will impact our service offering in some areas of the UK this week. To continue to offer the best service possible at this time, we are working with all stakeholders on various initiatives to mitigate the problem as best we can.

We are truly grateful to our operational colleagues and drivers at this time, for their personal efforts, as we strive for business-as-usual service.

Driver shortages continue across the country, but we are seeing great success from our continued recruitment drive. New drivers are joining regularly and are being trained quickly and efficiently across the network.

As the UK’s largest independent pharmaceutical wholesaler, we take our responsibility to maintain UK medicine supply very seriously. Our main aim, as ever, is to provide a service to our customers and, in turn, patients across the UK.

We will continue to keep you updated on the situation as it evolves and thank you for your understanding.