Pharmaceutical group Alliance UniChem is rolling out a
managed broadband service to more than 3,000 independent pharmacies
that it supplies in preparation for the launch of electronic
prescriptions.
The group's wholesale arm, UniChem, has already implemented the
managed broadband service in the 939 stores owned by Alliance
Pharmacy, the group's retail arm.
All the UK's 10,000 pharmacies will need a broadband service
that connects to the National Health Service's N3 network before
they are able to use electronic prescriptions.
UniChem's IT director, Anthony Roberts, said, "Independent
pharmacists have not really focused on the importance of N3. If
they do not have a network connection to N3, they will not be able
to work around it when electronic prescriptions are
introduced."
UniChem believes the move from paper to electronic prescriptions
will allow it to deliver significant supply chain efficiencies when
pharmacists begin using the managed broadband service to replenish
their stores with UniChem products.
Pharmacists currently order replenishment stock from UniChem's
20,000 product lines twice every working day using ISDN lines. The
combination of electronic prescriptions and broadband should speed
up this process, said Roberts.
The broadband service, which will provide each pharmacy with a
2Mbyte connection, is managed by virtual network operator
Sirocom.
The NHS will pay each pharmacy £200 a month if they have a
broadband connection to the N3 network and UniChem will use a
charging system based on the size of individual pharmacies for
supplying the Sirocom network.
Merger planned
Alliance UniChem and rival pharmacy chain Boots expect to merge
this June in a £7bn deal. The combined company, which will trade as
Alliance Boots, will have about 2,400 stores in the UK.