Digital tools to help manage pharmacy catalogues

Sector

Central Government

Service

Software Development

The client

NHS Commercial Medicines Unit

The Commercial Medicines Unit (CMU) sits within the Specialised Commissioning Directorate of NHS England. Its primary role involves collaborating with NHS pharmacists and suppliers to gather and analyse expenditure on secondary care (hospital) medicines. The CMU acts on behalf of both the Department of Health and the NHS, ensuring the efficient procurement and management of pharmaceutical products.

The challenge

Outdated technology relying on monthly CD-ROMs

Previously, the system for sharing information on pharmaceutical framework agreements with NHS pharmacy staff working in hospital trusts was reliant on monthly CD-ROM distributions. The CDs contained extensive details about pharmaceutical products including medicines, medical consumables, framework agreements, supplier information, and pricing terms. This process was not only costly in terms of production and distribution but also slow, as updated were constrained by the monthly production cycle.

The solution

Online pharmacy catalogue

To address these inefficiencies, NHS PASA decided to replace the CD-based system with an online pharmacy catalogue. PDMS was selected to develop the new system, which needed to be operational within a tight 4-month deadline. The objective was to reduce production and distribution costs while enabling quicker and more frequent updates of the data.

The project

The development of the online pharmacy catalogue involved creating a comprehensive database that stores information on over 20,000 pharmaceutical products. This online system allows NHS pharmacy staff to access detailed product, supplier, and contract information through a web-based platform. The data includes specifics such as product names, pack sizes, codes, supplier terms, prices, and contact details, as well as the start and end dates of framework agreements.

One of the key features of the online catalogue is its ability to show pending price changes and alterations to supplier terms, enabling hospital staff to make informed purchasing decisions to maximise value for money. The catalogue also maintains a 12-month history of price data for each product, allowing users to track price movements and assess the best times to make purchases.

Given the vast amount of data stored in the catalogue, it was crucial to implement an efficient search functionality. Pharmacy staff can perform searches based on multiple criteria, including all changes since the previous catalogue or specific changes such as price increases, decreases, or revised supplier terms. The system also allows for data export to Excel spreadsheets for further analysis and distribution.

The results

The online pharmacy catalogue was a significant success, delivering considerable cost savings and operational efficiencies. Pharmacy staff now have immediate access to up-to-date information, allowing them to make better-informed purchasing decisions. The system’s ability to provide a historical view of price movements over 12 months and highlight pending price adjustments has empowered staff to optimise their procurement strategies.

Overall, the transition from a CD-based system to an online platform has streamlined the process of accessing and managing pharmaceutical product information, contributing to better value for money and more efficient operations within the NHS.