CPE advises contractors to 'shop around' for best drug prices
Among the pharmacy negotiator’s new “top tips” for maximising dispensing income is shopping around for the best medicine prices.
Community Pharmacy England (CPE) released a new factsheet of “top tips to maximise dispensing income” on Friday (April 19).
The resource advised that pharmacy owners should “shop around for the best prices” to “reduce losses” when dispensing.
Contractors should “check with multiple suppliers before ordering generic medicines”, the negotiator said.
It added that they should “consider the use of purchasing cascade systems to assist with [their] buying”.
CPE said that pharmacists should “report any products purchased over drug tariff prices” or “any medicine shortages or supply disruptions”.
The negotiator also advised that pharmacy owners “endorse prescriptions correctly to avoid missing out on payments or any delays” and “ensure EPS prescriptions are claimed on time”.
Time spent sourcing drugs on the rise
Last month, C+D’s Salary Survey revealed that 94% of contractors reported that their workload had increased over the year with time spent sourcing medicines the single biggest contributor to the workload rise, cited by 39% of respondents.
“To survive, you have to become Del Boy Trotter to get medicines at a reasonable price,” one contractor said.
And last week, a report by the Nuffield Trust found that “serious problems securing medicines” have “continued or worsened” in recent years.
The think tank added that “this has placed a significant burden on” and created “a great deal of extra work for” pharmacists.
C+D also revealed last week that since 2021, the number of qualified, trainee and student pharmacists seeking grants and support with debts, benefits and housing have skyrocketed.
Meanwhile, earlier this month CPE boss Janet Morrison stressed that the sector is “on its knees with the current wave of closures and financial losses likely to continue”.
