New standard hours NHS pharmacy contracts are hard to come by, but we have secured two in one month for different clients. Our second contract was for a new "neighbourhood hub" being constructed in Warrington. The new hub is a major health and leisure facility for the town and part of a £16 million pound investment to help with the demand on the existing local doctors practices. In approving the application and accepting our submissions the oral hearing panel found that,


"Accordingly the proposed pharmacy is providing access to services which are designed to meet the specific needs of a group of patients sharing a protected characteristic who will be encouraged to use, and at present do use, the Centre so that their specific needs for pharmaceutical products can be met. The Committee recognised that other pharmacies may well provide, as they are obliged to do, services for dementia sufferers but the unique setting of the proposed pharmacy and the specific training to be given to staff to assist this protected group of patients is significant. Such patients will have ready and better access to pharmaceutical services designed to support their needs."


We were successful in arguing that the new pharmacy would provide innovative services for patients and that there was not already a reasonable choice of provider and that the new pharmacy would secure significant benefits for patients. This is only the second time that an NHS pharmacy contract has been approved using innovation as a reason.