Doctor’s orders
Getting prescription medicines on time can be tricky, with long GP waiting lists and limited opening hours at pharmacies.
Pharmacy2U works to fill the gap in this market, delivering medicines for free to customers around England. Founded in 1999, Pharmacy2U is a subscription-based prescription delivery service, serving more than 300,000 customers a year with NHS repeat prescriptions. Customers can order easily online, through an app or by telephone.
Based out of Leeds, the company is now opening a new delivery hub near Leicester, to be closer to our mail centre there.
On a recent visit to Leeds Mail Centre, Pharmacy2U CEO Mark Livingstone said: ‘The nature of our business means we don’t have shop counters – it’s all done online.
‘Royal Mail is the last point of contact before our medicines reach our customers. If the service is poor, then all our hard work is for nothing. But it’s a great service.’
As our business shifts from letters to parcels, new technology such as parcel sorting machines enables us to better service clients like Pharmacy2U.
In particular, printed barcodes on parcels have proved invaluable. They allow us to sort with maximum efficiency – and track parcels throughout their delivery journey. This is especially useful with valuable cargo like medicines.
‘The new packaging runs through the machine like a dream,’ said postman Matthew Jones. ‘Big clients boost our revenue and, of course, with Pharmacy2U we’re helping customers get their essential medicines.’
Work area manager Austyn Pearman agreed: ‘It’s fantastic for the business. It’s vital to win and keep the business of clients like Pharmacy2U. It makes me really proud to be working here – it’s an integral part of our organisation.’
Pharmacy2U’s business has expanded rapidly in the past few years. It now processes more than 175,000 items a week – and Leeds Mail Centre handles half of those deliveries.
But the company has ambitions to grow further. ‘We currently only do around 1% of repeat prescriptions,’ said superintendent pharmacist Phil Day.
‘So, there’s a huge untapped market. If we can maintain this trust and relationship, there’s great things to come.’
