Alphega Pharmacy member wins Pharmacy Champion Award at ROE Awards

Congratulations to Heidi Norton, Healthy Living Champion, from Bidford Pharmacy on winning the Pharmacy Champion Award – sponsored by Alphega Pharmacy at the recent Training Matters Recognition of Excellence (ROE) Awards, London. The Pharmacy Champion award celebrates the achievements of a special team member who has raised awareness of their pharmacy and promoted its services within the local community.

Heidi Norton was commended for her partnership campaign with a local dental practice in raising awareness of the importance of oral hygiene. It was this joined-up approach which helped patients feel cared for and added significant value to the support Heidi and the team could offer its patients. Heidi attended coffee mornings, local libraries, and village fetes, armed with pharmacy information and healthcare leaflets to promote this service. Heidi said: “It works well to tell the community we are here – and here for them.”

Richard Janes, Head of Alphega Pharmacy Retail said: “After the past 18 months the industry has had, it is fantastic to see such a great advocate of pharmacy really supporting their local community with such great ideas and initiatives. Well done Heidi and the rest of the team at Bidford pharmacy”.

Congratulations to  Lesley Vernoum-Norman, dispensing assistant, Abbotswood Pharmacy, Yate, South Gloucestershire, and Abdul Mauzer, assistant manager, Day Lewis Pharmacy, Old Montague Street, Tower Hamlets, London, as highly recommended in this category, and to all winners and runner-up team members at the event.

Read more about the event at Training Matters online at: RoE 2021 winners revealed (tmmagazine.co.uk) 

Almus Launch Erectile Dysfunction Relief 50mg Film Coated Tablets into UK Pharmacy Market

According to the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) erectile dysfunction becomes increasingly more common with age and is seen in 50 - 55% of men between 40 and 70 years old. It is often associated with obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, which are all significant risks to overall health*

Almus are pleased to announce the launch of Almus Erectile Dysfunction Relief 50mg Film Coated Tablets to the UK pharmaceutical market.

Tara Dew, Own Brand Manager, said: “We believe that erectile dysfunction is no longer an off-limits discussion. We feel that sufferers should not feel embarrassed to ask for advice from their pharmacists. The launch of Almus Erectile Dysfunction Relief 50mg Film Coated Tablets brings an affordable  treatment option to both pharmacists and patients, compared to the UK leading brand competitor.”

Sachiv Patel, Director of National Accounts & Health and Beauty at Alliance Healthcare, comments “This is a landmark product launch for us as we firmly believe that essential patient and personal care products should be available to everyone at an affordable price, without compromising on quality.”

Almus Erectile Dysfunction Relief 50mg Film Coated Tablets will be the first of several new products to be launched in innovative new packaging.

“We’re preparing to launch a range of new lines across various therapeutic categories before the end of the year. and the new packaging design will be rolled out across our current product range. It’s a very exciting time to be involved with Almus and Alliance Healthcare.”

Product information

Almus Erectile Dysfunction Relief 50mg Film Coated Tablets are available in both 4 and 8 pack sizes. See pricing and PIP code detail below.  Order Almus products through the Alliance Healthcare Portal, AH Direct, your PMR  or call: 0330 100 0448

Almus Erectile Dysfunction Relief Sildenafil ‘P’ Medicine PI. Essential Information Name of Product Almus Erectile Dysfunction Relief 50 mg Film-Coated Tablets. Active Ingredient: Sildenafil (as citrate). Indications Almus Erectile Dysfunction Relief 50 mg Film-Coated Tablets is indicated in adult men with erectile dysfunction, which is the inability to achieve or maintain a penile erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. For Almus Erectile Dysfunction Relief 50 mg Film-Coated Tablets to be effective, sexual stimulation is required. Dosage: The recommended dose is one 50 mg tablet taken with water approximately one hour before sexual activity. The maximum recommended dosing frequency is once per day. If Almus Erectile Dysfunction Relief 50mg Film-Coated Tablets is taken with food, the onset of activity may be delayed compared to the fasted state. Legal Category: P Pharmacy OTC status. MANumber PL 08553/0621. MA Holder: Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories (UK) Ltd, 6 Riverview Road, East Yorkshire, HU17 0LD. Further information about this product including adverse reactions, precautions, contraindications and methods of use can be found at: http://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/11008/smpc Adverse events should be reported. Reporting forms and information can be found at: http://www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard. Adverse events may also be reported to Pharmacovigilance at Dr Reddy’s Laboratories via drreddysgb@eu.propharmagroup.com. Please consult the summary of product characteristics before recommending.

*https://www.baus.org.uk/patients/conditions/3/erectile_dysfunction_impotence

Alliance Healthcare supports the Pharmacy Collect Service in Northern Ireland, supplying community pharmacies with NHS rapid lateral flow tests for people to collect and use at home

Alliance Healthcare is supporting community pharmacies in Northern Ireland by supplying NHS lateral flow tests to be distributed to people through the Pharmacy Collect Service.

Pharmacies in Northern Ireland can now order lateral flow tests via Alliance Healthcare as it continues supporting the nations efforts in the fight against COVID-19.

The Pharmacy Collect Service aims to improve access to COVID-19 testing by making lateral flow test kits readily available at community pharmacies for asymptomatic people. In doing so, it will help to identify COVID-positive cases and then break the chain of transmission.

John Laverty, Head of Independent Pharmacy – Northern Ireland said: “Working in an exclusive partnership with the Department of Health, I am very proud that Alliance Healthcare is able to support this initiative. We have already seen 420 orders placed which equates to more than 500 cartons, and our teams at our Belfast Service Centre continue to work tirelessly, as we have done throughout the pandemic, to aid the incredible work of the NHS and community pharmacy in Northern Ireland.”

Pharmacy customers in Northern Ireland should order via myahportal.co.uk or their provider, with PIP code: 8943904 (HSC N Ire Cov19 Rapid Test).

Update: COVID absence and driver shortage

Firstly, thank you for your patience while we at Alliance Healthcare have continued to put measures in place to mitigate issues that are affecting industries across the country. We are all very grateful for your understanding while we continue to progress with our improvements to service each day.

Absence levels across our network are continuing to decrease as our exemption from Test and Trace isolation has taken effect. We are obviously still dealing with some COVID absence but we are happy to say that our focus and dedication has meant that we have continued with twice daily deliveries across the UK.

Our national recruitment campaign is continuing and we are seeing good numbers of applicants each week. New starters are learning the ropes and our most experienced drivers are helping with training and coaching.

As always, our main aim is to provide a stable service to you, our customers and, in turn, patients across the UK. This is at the heart of everything we do. Thank you again for your patience and understanding during this time.

We will continue to keep you updated on the situation as it evolves.

Calling Pharmacy England Contractors: Claim Your COVID-19 Costs Now!

With just five days to go, Alliance Healthcare is urging pharmacy contractors in England to claim for all extra COVID-19 costs they have incurred during the pandemic. The deadline is 23:59 on Sunday 15th August.

Ashley Kilgas, Sales Director at Alliance Healthcare said: “Alliance Healthcare urges all pharmacy contractors to, as a matter of urgency, ensure they apply to claim back extra COVID-19 costs they incurred during the pandemic. It is imperative all contractors carry out this exercise and submit their claim before the deadline. There is a range of support and resources on the PSNC website to aid the claims made, please visit: https://psnc.org.uk/the-healthcare-landscape/covid19/funding-during-the-pandemic/ 

Ian Barnes, Head of Field Operations at Alphega Pharmacy UK said: “The Alphega Pharmacy team has over the last few weeks been visiting and calling its members to offer support in the COVID-19 extra costs claiming process. What is apparent to our teams is that some pharmacies have not yet started looking at their claim submissions and in some cases some members are struggling to ascertain what their costs are. The Alphega Pharmacy Business Mentor team are out in the field to support members in this area – and my dedicated field team of 10 people are fully committed to help. All Alphega Pharmacy members that need any support in this subject so please contact: membersupport@alphega-pharmacy.co.uk

We are paperless! Customer monthly statements available via myahportal

As part of our on-going commitment to reduce our impact on the environment as well as helping you self-serve, this is our final reminder to inform customers that Monthly Statements are available to access on myahportal.co.uk and we will no longer send customersprinted copies from Thursday 5 August (July statement).

Benefits to online statements:

1. Instant access to documents – no need to wait for the statement to arrive by post and you can also get access to a rolling 12 months’ of statements, which can be downloaded and stored on your local device
2. Quick, safe and secure – peace of mind that statements will only be accessible by authorised persons
3. Environmental impact – by reducing the need to print an average of four pages of paper per customer, we’ll save approximately 720,000 sheets of paper – that’s more than 50 trees a year, based on current statistics
4. Fuel Savings - help us and the Royal Mail reduce fuel consumption by removing approximately 180,000 statement delivered per year, thus reducing our carbon footprint - a major contributor to global climate change

The benefits don’t stop there! The portal provides you easy access to:

• Ordering products with immediate access to AH Direct
• Ordering all your surgical appliances fromNWOS
• Reporting a missing product with instant access to E-Missings
• Creating a returns note with access to ‘Returns’
• View and access statements, invoices and credit notes through Your Docs (where applicable)

Here to Help

We would now like to encourage all customers to view their monthly statements on myahportal.co.uk and would be happy to support with any queries. If you experience any difficulties and require support please contact the Customer Portal Team on 0330 100 0448 – option 8 or email CustomerPortal@alliance-healthcare.co.uk with ‘Online Monthly Statements’ in the title of your email.

Thank you in advance for your support and co-operation with our move to online monthly statements.

COVID absence and driver shortages continue across the country and, as a business, we are working hard to mitigate the situation.

COVID absence

COVID absence across the network continues to affect service centres and drivers. However, these numbers are decreasing and now that our critical teams are exempt from Test and Trace isolations, the situation continues to improve.

Driver shortages

Our recruitment drive is progressing well and we are seeing good numbers of strong applicants and new drivers into the business. This means we have a lot of new members to train and it can take time for new drivers to learn our processes and routes. If you happen to meet one of our new colleagues please take the time to say ‘hello’ and make their on-boarding as smooth as possible.

As well as new drivers we have also taken the opportunity to move some of our experienced drivers around the country to help out at hot spots where we have seen service disruption recently. We are grateful to these team members for helping out in this way, travelling across the country and agreeing to leave their homes and stay in hotels to help out with the current situation.

Our main aim is to provide a stable service to you, our customers and, in turn, patients across the UK. This is at the heart of everything we do, and we appreciate your continued dedication.

We will continue to keep you updated on the situation as it evolves.

Alliance Healthcare announces a partnership with Healthera, a leading provider of pharmacy patient apps, to drive forward the digital agenda within community pharmacy.

Alliance Healthcare Partners With Healthera To Bring Digital Revolution To Community Pharmacy

Today, as part of its commitment to drive forward the digital agenda within community pharmacy, we are pleased to announce a partnership with Healthera, a leading provider of pharmacy patient apps.  The ‘Healthera app’ offers local pharmacists the opportunity to gain a competitive edge *.

The OTC drug market is worth £2.6billion#, with dispensed prescriptions items in England worth £9.28billion ##, and with only a small proportion of the market currently believed to be digital, there is an opportunity for all local pharmacies to move into this space.  By subscribing to the Healthera App local pharmacists will be able to benefit from the increasing trend of shopping going digital, as well as address the competitive pressure from online pharmacies.

Over 1,500 pharmacies currently use the Healthera platform to offer their patients a streamlined way of ordering prescriptions, buying over the counter medicines, and booking same-day delivery through the app. 

As part of the partnership, we are actively marketing the Healthera platform to independent pharmacies nationwide that are looking for a solution to secure their patient base and help grow their revenue. Working collaboratively and sharing expertise, the partnership will, in time, offer additional functionality, to maximise the value of the pharmacy’s inventory and clinical expertise, and to continue to help improve pharmacy revenue and efficiency.

Ashley Kilgas, Sales Director at Alliance Healthcare commented, “If the past year has shown anything, it’s the importance of utilising technology to keep connected to each other. The dedication shown by our customers during the pandemic made one thing abundantly clear, they put the care for their patients first.

Our partnership with Healthera is a fantastic step towards making available a suite of digital solutions designed to help pharmacy stay connected with patients and streamline dispensary processes empowering dispensary teams to focus on patients rather than admin.  The Healthera app is built from the ground up to create an intuitive user experience putting interactions with community pharmacy literally in the palm of the patient’s hand.

Initially this will offer fantastic benefits for both patient and pharmacy team, but moving forward we aim to work with Healthera to evolve what the app can offer opening up new revenue opportunities for our customers.”

 Healthera is supporting this partnership by providing in store point of sale for any customers who choose to sign up to the service. This point of sale material will help patients access the app and inform them of some of its benefits.

Quintus Liu, CEO at Healthera commented, “We are pleased to work with the innovative team at Alliance Healthcare that shares our drive to improve the revenue growth of pharmacies and our vision towards providing the one-stop-shop for healthcare eCommerce. Our teams are ready to bring several hundred more pharmacies on-board over the next few months, and announce new offerings right around the corner.”

# Source: Statista, 2020, retail sales £

## Source: NHSBSA, Prescription Cost Analysis England 2020-21

* Alliance Healthcare provides marketing services to Healthera Ltd. If you subscribe for the Healthera app you will contract directly with Healthera Ltd and a monthly subscription fee and terms and conditions will apply. Subscription fees may vary.

Alliance Healthcare Service Centre Opens COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic

Thanks to a joint initiative between Wigan Council and the NHS Greater Manchester Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), some of our team members based at Leigh Service Centre received their first COVID-19 vaccination whilst at work.

Four health professionals attended the one day clinic to administer the Pfizer vaccine to 30 team members, who were delighted that they were able to receive their first jab and that it was available to them at their place of work. 

Fran Gray, Warehouse Operations Manager, who led the activity and ensured the smooth running on the day said: “This has been hugely beneficial for our team members that do not have their own transportation, and they have been supported by people they know.”

Commenting on the vaccine clinic Zak Patel, Leigh Service Centre Manager, said: “It’s been fantastic that we have been able to offer the vaccination to some of our team through this one day event.

“Earlier in the year we worked with the council to offer COVID-19 testing to our team and, like the vaccine, it was hugely appreciated.

“We have a good relationship with the local council and we’re happy to work with them on initiatives such as this. I’m also a member of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce which has helped to strengthen our relationships with businesses in the area and Wigan Council.”

Following the success of the vaccine clinic, the council is now looking to roll out the Leigh model to other businesses in the area.

Alliance Healthcare Team Member Along with Owner of Peel Green Pharmacy Recognised with the Mayor of Preston's Coronavirus Community Hero Award

We are delighted that Zak Patel, our Leigh Service Centre Manager, and Nasim Patel, owner of Peel Green Pharmacy, have received this special award, along with associates, for establishing Fulwood Foodbank, to support Preston residents in need through the pandemic.

On a weekly basis the group delivered food parcels to families that had been referred to them by Preston City Council, schools and colleges, and local charities.  Supermarkets in the area donated essential food items, as well as nappies and formula, while other local businesses and residents made generous financial contributions – some weeks it was in excess of £7,000!

At the height of the pandemic, they were supporting 2,000 families with three meals a day, seven days a week – that’s a staggering 42,000 meals a week!

Commenting on the award, Managing Director Julian Mount says: “It is fantastic recognition that Zak Patel, our Leigh Service Centre Manager, has been formally recognised by the Mayor of Preston for his local community support work in the height of the pandemic.  Zak is a true example to us all in selflessly putting his community first.  I want to thank Zak for being such a great example to us all.”

Zak Patel says: “I’m proud of how we have been able to help our community and it’s an honour to be recognised. The pandemic has quashed the myth that food banks are just for those sleeping rough as people with homes and jobs have been reliant on them through COVID. It’s heartening to see what can be achieved when we work together.”

Nasim Patel, Peel Green Pharmacy, says: “As a pharmacist I could see that patients were experiencing hardship and struggling before the pandemic. I knew that COVID would amplify the situation and wanted to be able to support the most vulnerable in our community.”

Alliance Healthcare is proud of the vital role its team members play to support the NHS, independent pharmacy and the communities it serves.