Pharmacy Integration at The Appletree Medical Practice, Belper, Derbyshire

The practice were keen to improve the integration between the primary care team and a pharmacy service. APM were commissioned by the GP Partners to review the options and to develop a strategy to achieve a co-located pharmacy service through a managed tender process. The partners recognised that an on-site pharmacy would enhance the patient experience as well as deliver commercial benefits to the property owning partners through a lease premium and enhanced rental income for the new pharmacy space.

What we did

APM Healthcare worked with the surgery to develop a strategy to open up negotiations with pharmacy operators and the local pharmacy and to identify a suitable location for the new pharmacy unit.

Plans were drawn up to extend the premises to increase the footprint of the building to ensure that a suitable area adjacent to the main entrance could be developed as an integrated pharmacy unit.
APM Healthcare worked closely with the practice manager and the partners managing all aspects of the pharmacy tender and the negotiations with the pharmacy bidders.  APM were successful in securing terms with the local pharmacy that included a substantial lease premium and an open market rent ensuring that the development could be funded and delivered.
The project was managed by our own in house team who looked at every detail of the project such as financial modelling of the pharmacy opportunity to identify what level of lease premium and rental could be achieved ensuring that the partners could finance the extension work required to improve the services that could be delivered to patients from the medical practice.

Skills Involved

Work Involved

  • Strategy development
  • Pharmacy contract application and regulatory approvals (to enable a competitive tender process through securing a new pharmacy contract)
  • Business case development and detailed financial modelling
  • Management of the pharmacy tender
  • Negotiation of heads of terms with the successful bidder
  • Advice on planning and pharmacy unit design

Client Feedback

The client said

“APM Healthcare provided us with advice and guidance all along the way and the team’s knowledge of pharmacy and  their contacts in the industry enabled us to get this project off the ground. Without the support of APM Healthcare I doubt we would have successfully completed this valuable project for the practice.”
Mr Stephen Leather, Practice Manager, Appletree Medical Practice