Better patient experience, efficiencies and functionality at your pharmacy can benefit everyone.

When your patients have a great experience, it’s likely that they’ll feel satisfied. They’re also more likely to remain loyal, use your services and promote them to others.

So, it’s unsurprising that pharmacists are continuously looking for ways to further enhance patient experience with the introduction of new services.

Health care professionals across the UK have considered introducing prescription delivery services, but how do you know if it’s right for your pharmacy?

Should I introduce prescription delivery?

Whilst it has its pros, there are almost certainly cons too. You’re likely to be aware that Pharmacy2U recently partnered with Royal Mail for prescription delivery.

A couple weeks later Royal Mail announced that it would be taking strike action, meaning deliveries are actively being impacted UK wide.

What should I consider? Delivery logistics

Strike action is something that you should keep in mind when considering prescription delivery. Whilst strikes are not always a long-term issue, they can impact the time it takes for patients to receive their prescriptions.

It’s likely that we could see further strike action from workers across the UK due to debates over pay, work hours and cost of living adjustments.

It’s also worth noting that delays can happen regardless of strike action, and that items sent via postal services can be misplaced.

Costs and resourcing

Before you decide to sign up for prescription delivery, you should consider the costs. It’s likely to be a regular monthly or even weekly cost depending on how you set it up.

You’ll also need to assign the admin tasks associated with prescription delivery across your team. It may work best to make it the responsibility of one staff member or a task that has a designated time.

If you’re short on resourcing and time, it may be better for you to consider alternative options.

Face to face support and managing medication

Delivering prescriptions on a long-term basis could mean you’ll lose the opportunity for face-to-face interaction with some of your patients.

When you physically hand over a prescription, you’re able to ask if the patient knows how to use the medication. When distributing repeat prescriptions, you’re able to ask the patient if they feel their dosage is correct or if they’d like a review.

With MedPoint, you’re able to easily and quickly see if a patient hasn’t collected their prescription. This can often be a sign that the patient is no longer taking their medication as required and allows you to make further contact to have a follow up conversation.

With prescription delivery, there’s no guarantee that the delivered prescription is being taken as intended, so keep this in mind.

Additional benefits of on-site collection

There are several benefits to on site prescription collections via a 24/7 MedPoint. These benefits impact both your team and patients.

Many pharmacists have experienced an increase in staff cost in recent months. Employing another long-term team member, the cost of which will increase year after year, may no longer be a viable option.

MedPoint can be used as an addition to your pharmacy team, with the added bonus of freeing up time and being available 24/7.

As MedPoint handles the dispensing of prescriptions, your team can shift focus to other tasks within your pharmacy.

To patients, MedPoint provides convenience and a guaranteed time to collect prescriptions. This is especially useful to those who feel anxious entering the pharmacy environment or worry about their prescription being delivered on time.

Need to discuss your prescription options?

Weighing up whether prescription delivery is right for your pharmacy, or whether a MedPoint could work for you? Feel free to get in touch, we can chat to you about your options and the benefits.