Rowlands Pharmacy has opened its first outpatient dispensary at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust, Merseyside, after securing a seven-year contract to provide its dispensing services.

Rowlands, part of the Phoenix Group, won the "competitive" tender for the contract in March and its facilities were officially opened this month by hospital trust chairman Ron Watson.

The multiple said it had worked "closely" with the trust to develop the outpatient dispensing model. The strategy included the adoption of the trust's PMR system, Ascribe, which enables pharmacists to see a full list of the patient's medicines.

Rowlands said it had worked "closely" with the trust to develop the outpatient dispensing model	More on outpatien dispensaries Co-operative hospital outpatient dispensary ‘up and       running' Bradford contract bolsters Co-operative Pharmacy's       shift into hospital care Co-operative Pharmacy scoops seven-year outpatient       contract
	"Not only did this make clinical sense, from a reporting and financial point of view, it has meant that we now have a completely transparent service for both parties," said Rowlands outpatient dispensing project manager David Young.

And Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust chief pharmacist Adrian Brown said partnering with Rowlands had led to "greater efficiencies and cost-effectiveness".

"In common with many local trusts, we decided some time ago to identify a suitable partner to deliver outpatient dispensing services," he said. "Not only has this development led to greater efficiencies and cost-effectiveness to the trust, but it has enabled my team to focus on improving our services to inpatients."