Wholesale account managers are the most underused resource we have in practice. They can save time, help increase profits or reduce losses.

That was the key message from DDA Board Member Jacinta Edgar in her presentation, A Day in the Life of our Dispensary.

She said: “Ask them to show you what I call the ugly reports – the ones that show you where you are losing money and ask them to help you with possible switches to minimise that.

“It’s not just about them outdoing each other on their generic deals.”

She said account managers should be able to support you in monitoring rebates and deals, staff training, and purchasing consumables.

Her advice is to involve relevant managers (eg, dispensary, practice and stock), set the meeting agenda beforehand – to avoid it becoming a sales pitch – discuss meeting outcomes with the lead GP and develop a plan to be shared with the wider team. This also starts the process of a practice formulary, which she describes as essential in a multidisciplinary team.

She stressed the importance of proactive dispensary management, recommending support including the DDA Facebook page, the DDA website or peer support from colleagues in other practices.

She also advised practices to look at local competition, including online pharmacies, to review aspects such as:

• Offering a delivery service
• Robots
• Collection points.

View the presentation: A day in life of our dispensary