Positive Solutions, recently invited customers from across Scotland to take part in its inaugural Customer Conference, devised as a platform to explore community pharmacy in depth.

The event, which took place at Glasgow’s Westerwood Hotel earlier in July, provided an opportunity for delegates to discuss Positive Solutions’ current product portfolio, along with some of the latest topics and trends in the community pharmacy sector.

With a key focus on innovation and forward-thinking, the conference featured presentations from several guest speakers, including pharmacy owner Bernadette Brown, who spoke candidly about her experience in moving away from the ‘traditional’ business model. Bernadette gave a detailed insight into Cadham Pharmacy in Glenrothes, which has recently re-branded as a health centre. Described as ‘the face of community pharmacy for the 21st century’, Cadham has placed automation and the operational efficiencies it delivers at the heart of its strategy.

The project represents the first time a Scottish community pharmacy has undergone such a radical transformation. The design of Cadham Pharmacy Health Centre is focused around two robots, brought in to streamline the dispensing process, thereby maximising the time pharmacists can spend on offering additional services to patients. To accommodate both robots, the bold decision was made to remove the pharmacy’s retail area and instead offer OTC products through digital, touch-screen inventories and automated order fulfilment.

Mark Roylance from BD Rowa Technologies also spoke on the role of automation in pharmacies, discussing the benefits it can present in terms of delivering of a more customer-focused business model.

Other guest speakers on the day included Catriona MacDonald from NHS Tayside, who discussed the new Universal Claim Framework which will allow electronic claiming for pharmacy-led services and Rosemary Plum, Executive Producer at ScriptTV, who provided an overview of the way pharmacies can leverage media and advertising to enhance patient reach.

Commenting on the customer conference, Charlie Denwood, MD at Positive Solutions, said: “The event offered a great opportunity to bring together our customers and solution providers into one forum. I’m absolutely delighted by the contribution that has been made by all parties; the presentations were superb and delegates were keen to participate in open discussions.

“The Scottish pharmacy sector is, in many ways, two steps ahead of the rest of the UK where innovation is concerned. We’re seeing the emergence of some very exciting business models with technology at their core. For Positive Solutions, it’s great to be a part of this and we look forward to sharing these examples of best practice with customers across the rest of the country.”