Cambrian Alliance Group

15/04/2025

“The pressure of the contract is still more intense than ever. We haven’t got time to order from 15 places any more.”

G S Bhogal Pharmacy in Cardiff has been part of the community for 44 years.
But things have never been harder than now.

Where pharmacies were used to hand-to-mouth delivery, 4 times a day - like Gurnam said to us, “those days are gone.”

There are less deliveries, more surcharges and falling reimbursement.

That’s why he needed help to get on top of his ordering.
And why he loves Ula's help as his Business Manager.

He has an expert on his side, to help;

📈 Analyse their monthly purchasing profit report
🚀 Hear how other pharmacies are using e-CASS to adapt and innovate
💊 Identify items they can order differently

In difficult times - pharmacies need more than just technology, they need a partner.

31/03/2025

“We’ve got to be really prudent to look at our dispensing.
But we don’t have time to sit down and look at where to buy…”

Gurnam sums up the problem so many pharmacists have.
Reimbursement is falling, and price is volatile. But there’s no time to buy like you used to.

He used to have time to jump around multiple suppliers on the phone, portals and websites.

Like he says though - “those days are gone”.

That’s why he needed e-CASS' cascade. So he could stop worrying about getting the best price and focus on delivering for his patients.

28/03/2025

Stephen Toland, Murphy's Chemist: "Community pharmacy is such a volatile environment."
💊 That's why you need a standardized approach to ordering.

From assessing drug interactions, checking dosages, managing multiple services and liaising with GPs, there are so many hats Pharmacists have to wear.

⌛ As Stephen told us - there's no longer any time for Pharmacists to check every single order your team are placing, and when you order across different platforms - you get variability.

That's why his team use e-CASS.

They can clearly see pricing for every supplier, check it against drug tariff price and see recent availability for every medicine they need.

It takes care of your ordering according to your rules so you can focus on your patients knowing that your purchasing is one less thing to worry about.

28/03/2025

Good luck to our member Naresh at Lad Chemist Ltd who is hiking Mount Kilimanjaro in September to raise money for Dementia UK!

Please donate if you can - good luck Naresh from everyone at Cambrian Alliance!

Help Naresh Lad raise money to support Dementia UK

24/03/2025

Us: What would you do without Ula as your business manager?
Gurnam: “Close the shop, and run!”

It was so lovely to chat to Gurnham Bhogal at his Rumney Pharmacy - and amazing to hear how much help Ula is for him!

Why? Because like he says, ”Having approachable people like Ula helping us is a big help in our lives.”

Every month he makes sure they find time to chat with Ula, to build confidence in their buying through;

- Looking at their monthly purchasing profit report
- Hearing how other pharmacies are using e-CASS to adapt and innovate
- Identifying items they can order differently

That’s how being a Cambrian Alliance member is different - having a team and advice you can rely on.

21/03/2025

Are you paying too much for your pharmacy insurance?

Ian Smith, Divisional Director, Health & Care at Howden Insurance Brokers Limited reveals the hidden traps most pharmacists fall into—and how to avoid them.

Watch his top 5 things you need to consider when insuring your pharmacy.

06/03/2025

Pharmacists' Professional Indemnity Insurance choices have traditionally been limited.

As Howden Insurance Brokers Ltd offer a new option to pharmacies (from £495 + IPT*), we sat down with Ian Smith, Head of Primary Care to discuss what Pharmacists should consider when purchasing their insurance?

As a pharmacy owner or dispenser, you're juggling a complicated business - and as Ian Smith, Head of Primary Care at Howden points out - the last thing you want to think about while you're busy - is your insurance.

03/03/2025

😕“what is it we’re actually making off dispensing?”

It’s a simple question. But for Ali at Downton Surgery - figuring out the answer was far too complicated.

Sound familiar?

28/02/2025

🤝 Dispensing really is a team game 🤝
Great to see some of Rachael's dispensing doctor teams making the most of her expert advice recently at Hardwicke House & Caythorpe & Ancaster Medical Practice!

Working with our business managers and ordering on e-CASS really is a game-changer for everyone - manager, buyer or dispenser alike:

- one simple platform to compare prices & order
- a monthly purchasing profit report to analyse their ordering
- guidance from Rachael to get the most out of how they order

24/02/2025

♻️ We need to change how dispensing doctors are ordering.
Ali: “ the dispensing doctor world is behind”

But it’s not because surgeries are doing something wrong.
⛔ It’s because their systems don’t allow them to do things well.

16/01/2025

Dhiran’s biggest worry is Pharmacy funding. And concessions and clawback only cloud the picture further for him.
Like he said - “if you can see something - you do something about it." 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆 🕵️

• Clawback is confusing
• Portals don’t show pricing
• Complex pricing structures
• Late-month price concessions

Funding needs to change, but we need to make ordering medicines much simpler for contractors too.

🔎 That’s where we stepped in to help Stroud Road Pharmacy. Since chatting to Ula and joining, they get:

• Transparent pricing on every item
• Clear clawback and concessions information
• Monthly purchasing profit reports
• Their business manager Ula to chat through complications with

As Dhiran and his team have more insights and reports to draw on, they have the information to take action to improve and secure their purchasing margin.

13/12/2024

“𝐖𝐞’𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 - 𝐬𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐃𝐚𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐨 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝”

A pharmacy takeover before Christmas must be busy and stressful - so it's great to hear how Cambrian Alliance and e-CASS are supporting and making ordering as smooth as possible for Moorland Rd Pharmacy