Menu
Catching up with our Medicines Management team

Celebrating World Pharmacy Day

AdobeStock_201706393

World Pharmacy Day

This week, we celebrate World Pharmacy Day, shining a light on the important role our Medicine Management team play, not only in ensuring our patients receive high-quality care when they access our services but also to our commitment to achieving net zero, reducing emissions and minimising our environmental impact.

Pharmacist managing medicines

Why is Medicines Management so important?

To provide this standard of care and guarantee that everyone receives the proper treatment for their healthcare concern, it is essential they keep track of the medicines and equipment supply. All medicines need to be accurately stocked and up to date by the team, and deliveries must be handled as safely as possible and trend analysis is necessary to suggest recommendations of improvement.

Here are a few ways our team have improved their processes to ensure they work as environmentally consciously as possible:
  • Removing and recycling cardboard packaging from expired drugs, which has almost halved expensive clinical waste bin usage.
  • Scrutinising drug usage levels, paying close attention to seasonal trends and drop offs to modify stock levels accordingly. This aims to decrease wastage and unnecessary spend.
  • Consolidated orders from suppliers, avoiding multiple deliveries and instead planning larger less frequent ones. This helps save on delivery costs and contributes to a reduction of our carbon footprint.
  • Ordering responsibly from the PPE Portal and maintaining required levels only.

Deliveries are carefully managed too. Our team is responsible for making sure that over 20 bases and over cars are fully stocked and for ensuring all drivers and receptionists know what to use and when, as well as clinical staff. More efficient trips make for a huge reduction in carbon emissions. Here are some of the ways they help to see this happen.

  • Planning efficient drop off routes, to avoid back tracking, reducing fuel consumption, time and resources.
  • Producing regular reports for our colleagues managing supplies at our bases. This means that when stock is delivered, the driver can collect items to return, including expired drugs and post at the same time. This helps save fuel, time, and resources.

But it doesn’t stop there. The team are consistently brainstorming different ideas on how to continue reducing our carbon footprint, including plans to go entirely paperless and using biodegradable stationery.

These actions are seemingly small, but they contribute hugely to minimising the environmental impact HUC has as an organisation.