Programme overview
Introduction:
Community pharmacy management, covering dispensing, category and branch performance, is a 5-day course for pharmacy branch managers, owners, chain area managers and pharmacists in leadership, ending with a Branch Performance Review and Improvement Plan for a case pharmacy. Many community pharmacies lose margin through expired and slow-moving stock, weak supplier terms, long prescription waits and front-shop ranges mismatched to the catchment, while controlled medicines records drift. Nominees already run a dispensary, shift or branch and work on case studies using prescription data, stock reports, rotas and branch accounts. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this community pharmacy management course.
Course Objectives:
- Assess a community pharmacy's business model, prescription and front-shop revenue mix and catchment against a branch baseline
- Run a dispensing workflow with prescription screening, accuracy checks, error logging and controlled medicines balance checks
- Control pharmacy stock through wholesaler ordering, supplier terms, reorder points, expiry rotation and refrigerated medicines temperature logs
- Manage OTC, cosmetics and other front-shop categories with category roles, planograms and patient counselling standards
- Plan clinical services, pharmacist and technician rotas and branch finances using a pharmacy P&L and KPI set
- Produce a Branch Performance Review and Improvement Plan and compare branches through area manager visits and a league table
Target Audience:
- Pharmacy branch management teams accountable for dispensary standards, sales and staff in a community pharmacy
- Owner-operators responsible for the purchasing, finances and growth of independent pharmacies
- Area management teams responsible for groups of branches within a pharmacy chain
- Pharmacists in charge who lead dispensing shifts, controlled medicines records and patient services
- Chain operations and category teams that set ranges, pharmacy procedures and branch KPIs
Course Outline:
Day 1: Community Pharmacy Business Model and Branch Baseline
- Community Pharmacy Business Model With Dispensary and Front-Shop Revenue
- FIP/WHO Good Pharmacy Practice Roles for Branch Leadership
- Independent Pharmacy Versus Multi-Branch Chain Operating Structures
- Prescription Volume, Basket Mix and Catchment Profile Analysis
- Branch Baseline Review Using a Pharmacy Walk-Through Checklist
Day 2: Dispensing Workflow, Controlled Medicines and Stock Integrity
- Prescription Intake, Clinical Screening and Final Accuracy Check Workflow
- Dispensing Error Log and Near-Miss Review in the Dispensary
- Controlled Medicines Register, Cabinet Keys and Balance Checks
- Expiry Date Rotation Using First-Expiry First-Out Shelf Rules
- Refrigerated Medicines Temperature Log and Excursion Response Steps
Day 3: Purchasing, Front-Shop Category Management and Patient Service Quality
- Wholesaler Ordering, Bonus Deals and Supplier Credit Terms
- Reorder Points and Days of Stock Cover per Line
- OTC, Cosmetics and Mother-and-Baby Category Role Assignment
- Pharmacy Planogram, Gondola Ends and Counter Display Placement
- Patient Counselling Script and Mystery Shopper Service Scorecard
Day 4: Clinical Services, Pharmacy Staffing, Branch Finances and Multi-Site Control
- Health Screening and Vaccination Service Set-Up Where Permitted
- Pharmacist and Technician Rota Built on Prescription Peaks
- Pharmacy P&L With Gross Margin, Wage Ratio and Shrinkage
- Pharmacy KPI Set for Script Count, Conversion and Stock Turn
- Area Manager Branch Visit Report and Multi-Site League Table
Day 5: Case Study: Branch Performance Review and Improvement Plan
- Case Pharmacy Branch Briefing on Falling Margin and Waits
- Case Dispensary Audit of Controlled Medicines and Expiry Records
- Case Category Range Review and Supplier Terms Renegotiation
- Case Rota and Clinical Service Capacity Rebalancing Exercise
- Branch Performance Review and Improvement Plan Completion
Skills You Will Gain:
- Dispensary Workflow Design
- Controlled Medicines Record Keeping
- Pharmacy Stock Rotation
- Supplier Terms Negotiation
- Front-Shop Category Planning
- Patient Counselling Standards
- Pharmacy Rota Planning
- Branch Profitability Analysis
Why Attend This Course:
- Hand the pharmacy owner or area manager a Branch Performance Review and Improvement Plan with priorities, owners and KPI targets
- Decide which categories to expand, which supplier deals to accept and which clinical services the branch can staff
- Avoid expired stock write-offs, controlled medicines discrepancies and long prescription waits that erode margin and patient trust
- Share the dispensing check workflow, category role sheet and rota template with pharmacists and branch teams
Conclusion:
Back at work, the participant gives the pharmacy owner or area manager a Branch Performance Review and Improvement Plan for the community pharmacy. The owner or area manager uses it to approve range changes, supplier term targets, rota adjustments and the clinical services the branch adds, while the pharmacist in charge uses its checklists to run dispensing, controlled medicines and expiry routines. After the first quarter, the branch should review gross margin, prescription waiting times, expired stock write-offs, controlled medicines balance checks and mystery shopper scores against the baseline.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What should participants know before a community pharmacy management course?
Participants should already supervise a dispensary, a shift or a whole pharmacy and know how their branch orders, stores and sells medicines. Bringing recent sales, stock and rota reports helps them apply the case work to their own pharmacy.
How does community pharmacy management differ from a hospital pharmacy or general retail store course?
It treats the community pharmacy as both a healthcare service and a retail business: dispensing checks, controlled medicines, front-shop categories, clinical services and branch accounts. Hospital pharmacy courses centre on formularies and ward distribution, and general retail courses lack the dispensary and professional duties.
Why does community pharmacy management need category management for OTC and cosmetics?
Front-shop categories such as OTC medicines, cosmetics and mother-and-baby products often carry higher margins than dispensing. Giving each category a role, range and space suited to the catchment lifts basket value without crowding out counselling space or professional advice.
What do participants take back from the community pharmacy management course?
Participants take back a Branch Performance Review and Improvement Plan for a case pharmacy, with a dispensing check workflow, controlled medicines and expiry checklists, a category role sheet, a rota template, a pharmacy P&L layout and a branch KPI set.