Hodgson Pharmacy has seen patient numbers double after closure of local Lloyds Pharmacy
Charac works with some 20% of pharmacies nationally and is the UK’s largest and fastest-growing patient relationship management platform.
2 May 2024, Kent: Charac, the UK’s largest and fastest-growing patient relationship management platform for pharmacies, has signed up Longfield-based Hodgson Pharmacy (“Hodgson”) to its platform to manage an unprecedented growth in demand. Charac has developed a white-labelled Hodgson Pharmacy app to improve customer experience and bolster patient services as part of the partnership.
Hodgson’s customer increase follows the closure of fellow Longfield-based chemist Lloyds Pharmacy last August. Over the past six months, Hodgson has seen a 40% increase in prescriptions that it manages and a doubling of over-the-counter sales.
By using Charac’s platform, Hodgson has provided an enhanced standard of care for local residents despite the sudden closure of one of the area’s main pharmacies. By reducing the amount of time prescriptions sit in storage, Charac improves the efficiency of the prescription dispensary service, leading to shorter wait times for Hodgson’s patients, allows them to order repeat prescriptions, book a consultation with their pharmacist, and in the future, track the delivery of their medicines straight to their door.
Longfield is one of the many communities across the country that has had to cope with the impact of a steep rise in pharmacy closures. Lloyds Pharmacy, one of the UK’s largest pharmacy chains, which previously had 1,400 pharmacies, closed 16% of its stores in 2023 alone — a total of 237 chemists. The remaining pharmacies have then been put under further pressure to manage this extra demand while maintaining the same standards of care.
The recent launch of the Government’s ‘Pharmacy First’ policy highlights the increased demand that pharmacies are likely to experience. Patients suffering from various ailments, such as sore throats or shingles, are now directed to their local pharmacy as their first port of call rather than a GP. Coupled with a £645m injection into the community pharmacy sector, the scheme is designed to make healthcare more accessible for patients. This additional responsibility makes the need for digital transformation even greater for pharmacies to improve efficiency and maintain standards of patient care.
Charac is on a mission to help improve the pharmacy experience for patients while boosting pharmacies’ efficiency in areas such as Longfield, across the UK, and internationally, driving standards in care provision through digitalising pharmacy services.
Charac works with 20% of the UK’s community pharmacies, and has been backed by key industry players and British institutions including the NPA, Royal Mail, and AXS-listed MedAdvisor raising over £4m of funding since its launch.
The Hodgson Pharmacy app is available on Google Play for patients.
Amish Patel, Owner of Hodgson Pharmacy, commented: “Following the sudden closure of Lloyds, we have had to cope with additional stress placed upon our pharmacy due to a surge of new customers. We chose Charac because of their excellent people, their ability to deliver, and their prioritisation of the needs of pharmacies. Charac was able to tailor a whitelabel app for us, helping reduce the burden on our operations and employees, as well as increasing the speed and efficiency of our services. Our patients have since voiced their pleasure with the additional communication we can provide and visibility of the medicine collecting process.
“Charac and Santosh have a proven track record, and when you look back at what he has achieved, you can be sure that Charac will always be at the forefront of innovation.”
Santosh Sahu, Founder and CEO of Charac, commented: “Hodgson Pharmacy is a great example of how we envisioned Charac helping both pharmacies and patients. We are delighted that customers are experiencing the real practical benefits of our app, such as shorter delivery times, online booking, and prescription home delivery. Overall, it means that Longfield residents receive a more personalised and efficient service from their local pharmacy, and we are continuing with our mission to help pharmacies across the UK and globally deliver this enhanced standard of service.”