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So, in 2024, just how can we revamp our stock management to boost
efficiency and profitability?

I’m a strong advocate for adopting an “order to script” approach, which essentially means
eliminating repeat prescription stock altogether. Imagine having a dispensary completely free
of stock. No more time spent organizing stock, checking expiry dates, or dealing with wasted
out of date items. Instead, all your funds are in the bank rather than tied up on the shelves. It’s
a dispensary utopia, isn’t it?

This is achievable if we embrace a different approach to our work streams. Before you dismiss
the idea, please read on and let me persuade you to give it a chance. It’s entirely possible to
work smarter by ordering medications this way.
Ordering to prescription requires the dispensary team to understand that having no stock is
not intimidating. As long as you efficiently manage prescription requests and order stock in a
well-organized manner every half or full day to meet the demands of prescription refills, you
can dispense directly from the totes as they arrive and still maintain a 2- to 3-day turnaround.

Admittedly, you’ll never be entirely stock-free because there’s a need to keep some acute
medications on hand for clinic prescriptions. However, this doesn’t mean you have to maintain
an extensive stock worth tens of thousands of pounds. You can determine which “acute
formulary” items your GPs commonly prescribe on a daily basis and keep a supply of these,
allowing you to reduce the stock you’re currently carrying by 95%.
A simple acute formulary template might look like this; just fill in your practice preferences.

Therapy Area Basic stock items Packs (minimum stock level)

Pain relief/analgesics

Respiratory
Allergy

GI
Infection
Skin conditions

Mental Health
Pregnancy, contraception and
womens health
Pain and inflammation (topical)
ENT

Eye infection/inflammation
Cardiovascular

I assure you that once you stop trying to emulate a mini wholesaler and simplify your daily
workload, you’ll find it much more manageable. I believe that this approach to managing your
prescription stock requirements is both efficient and financially advantageous. It’s similar to
using meal kit services like Hello Fresh, where you have precisely what you need for dinner in
a brown paper bag, rather than an overstuffed fridge with food going to waste. Less is more.

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P4304.1-V92_PS-Magazine-December 2023.indd 19 09/11/2023 10:39:29