By Tony Cordrey, VP of European Strategic Operations Accord Healthcare. 

We are a demand driven society. Consumers prize speed and convenience when it comes to their purchasing decisions. Patients are consumers and like consumers in any other sector there is an expectation that the product, in this case medicines, should be available as and when required. Many supermarkets, clothing retailers and other goods are available to order from the comfort of home and often can be delivered the same or next day. Patients are starting to expect this level of service from their pharmacy.

It’s no surprise that when it comes to health the same expectations are being levied and there is a growing need for the pharmaceutical industry, wholesalers, and pharmacies to adapt and step up.

The world is more integrated than ever before and customers are demanding greater visibility of their purchases and supply chains. For the pharma industry the first step is creating a stable supply chain to reduce the disruption that can lead to shortages. It is also about creating processes that allow medicines once manufactured to be dispatched efficiently. There is an onus on us to expedite them to wholesalers quickly and safely, who in turn will deliver to pharmacists.

Getting it right first time, every time

At Didcot, where we have the UK’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer owned storage facility, we have transformed the way we pick, pack and dispatch medicines. Traditionally, the picker would have walked miles around the warehouse selecting products and checking them against the order. The wholesaler on the other end would need to double-check that the order is correct and then pass onto the pharmacist who would need to do the same.

Our automated system that went online last September, selects the products from an automated tote system and brings them to the picker where they can be packed in confidence knowing that the order is going to be right first time. This not only takes that burden off the wholesaler, but also ensures they will receive their order faster. This efficiency is passed onto the pharmacist, who can ensure that their focus is where it counts, their patients.

Our future vision

Our investment in Didcot is just the beginning and we have big aspirations for the future:

1) We used the creation of our Didcot storage facility as an opportunity to work closer with, and learn from, our distribution partner DHL, who are experts in global distribution of packaging, incorporating many of their strategies into our operations.

2) We are ready to learn from other non-pharma industries and embrace new technologies, not to decrease our employee headcount, but instead to create a more skilled workforce.

3) We also envision better communications and tracking of orders. We want to be able to communicate to the wholesalers what we have in stock and when supplies will arrive so that they can relay these to pharmacists and help them make critical decisions that will benefit patients. Through improving communication systems across the industry, wholesalers can ensure that they are able to source the medicines they need when they need it. As an aside – we are planning to introduce online ordering on our Partner Platform this year, which will be an important first step to making this a reality.

These approaches reflect the changing shift in patient attitude towards on-demand-health, which has understandably seen a significant spike during the Covid-19 pandemic.  During this time, patients have taken advantage of online GP consultations and local pharmacies delivering medicines direct to homes. These solutions were not created as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic – they have existed for several years – but the pandemic has been a catalyst in increasing their usage.

We stand on the precipice of possibility in manufacturing and logistics. While the true impact of these future innovations is unknown, we can be certain that we will continue to make it better for pharmacies, wholesalers and most importantly, patients.