Why Pharmacies in Northern Ireland need better support

No pharmacy in the UK has had an easy journey over the last decade – but in Northern Ireland, “complicated” barely scratches the surface. The path is as fraught as it is for other UK pharmacies - but as Stephen Toland, Pharmacy Manager of Murphy's Chemist points out - there are so many added obstacles laid in the way.

Fresh off being named Pharmacist of the Year at the Pharmacy in Focus Awards, Stephen speaks with both pride and frustration. Pride at how much contractors in Northern Ireland achieve, yet frustration at the extra hurdles they face:

Community Pharmacy is such an amazing vehicle for healthcare provision. We have so much potential here – but sadly the reality is that Community Pharmacy is slightly behind in Northern Ireland.

His 1st example is stock struggles. The “out-of-stock” notification is an all-too-familiar sight for pharmacists across the UK, but Northern Ireland faces even more unique supply headaches.

“Many suppliers will no longer supply vaccines to Northern Ireland. Certain items like gluten-free products require lots of extra paperwork to bring in. No pharmacist has time to fill these in instead of providing care”

Brexit and the Windsor Framework have only deepened these problems, with even minor packaging changes threatening to trigger new shortages.

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A Need for a Regional Model

Stephen highlights another key frustration: price concessions often don’t fully reflect the reality in Northern Ireland.

"When items are sharply increasing in price here – if the same trend isn’t happening in England, then I’m not sure there’ll always be an uplift in concessions. We share lots of the same shortages - but there is variance."

That’s why Stephen believes Northern Ireland needs its own approach.

"It feels like we are an afterthought almost. If you look at the models in Wales and Scotland – they are specific to the regions, and more flexible to the needs there."

Wales, for example, saw a £9.9m funding uplift in December 2024, representing a 24% increase since 2017. But it’s not just about funding; it’s about how pharmacies are represented in national discussions and integrated into plans to “return care to the community.”

It seems to be reflected in the way pharmacy is viewed in the countries as well. Northern Ireland needs a solid, modern pharmacy contract of its own.

As recently as May 6th, Welsh Government also announced that pharmacies will provide national services for sore throats and UTIs as part of their Common Ailments Service - perhaps an example of what Stephen suggested in action.

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Trying to "control the ordering side of things"

As funding stagnated over the last decade, Stephen and his team tried multiple ways to improve their profitability, and improve the process of buying. As Stephen says -"the one thing we can control is the ordering side".

Murphy’s tried different approaches to ordering: assigning it to one person, using a team, and working with multiple buying groups and platforms. But as Stephen explains, these business processes only go so far if the technology behind them isn’t designed with pharmacists in mind:

“Leaving ordering to one person has advantages, but that doesn't work when we have hybrid work - or when someone is on holiday. But when lots of the team did bits of ordering, it was harder to control.

We didn't have one platform with clear pricing for all our suppliers - so lots of the team were wasting time. And when there's lots of us making manual decisions, it does mean you're at risk of expensive errors. It doesn't take a huge mistake to order at the wrong price and lose £1000s"

Smarter Tech, Built for Pharmacies

As Murphy’s modernised with dispensing robots and new ordering workflows, Stephen realised they didn't have an ordering platform or process that fitted around their real needs.

That’s where Cambrian Alliance and e-CASS stood out:

The e-CASS model fits us perfectly… having all those suppliers stationed on the one platform is ideal because it lists the price and drug tariff for every item, as well as availability for each supplier.

Now, instead of hopping between portals or risking missed savings, every team member can see the best option at a glance – making ordering a shared, efficient process.

But the real difference, Stephen says, is the people behind the platform:

"Working with our Business Manager Greg is great. We get ‘sold to’ by suppliers enough – so it’s a relief to have someone who offers objective advice, and is willing to listen to help the pharmacy. Having that in-person help helps win half the battle as we can troubleshoot issues together."

Because Cambrian’s business managers are on the ground, listening to pharmacists, the tech evolves with real-world needs in mind. Features like price alerts and stock alerts aren’t just “shiny tools” – they’re direct responses to what pharmacists ask for:

The new price alerts give us that info about changing prices on items we order a lot… It helps me stay ahead of the game in terms of our profit margin.

For Stephen, this is the future of pharmacy technology: solutions shaped by the people who use them, freeing up time for pharmacists to focus on what matters most – patient care. It’s the same principle that inspired him to create ConsultTed, an all-in-one solution for minor illness that empowers pharmacies to better treat, advise, and refer -reducing unnecessary GP visits and making care at scale easy, safe, and auditable.

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For Northern Ireland’s pharmacies, thriving means more than surviving the next supply challenge or hoping for incremental funding increases.

It’s about having technology and contracts that fit the realities on the ground, and funding that reflects the true value pharmacies bring to their communities. As Stephen says:

"There is so much potential for what pharmacies can do for healthcare in Northern Ireland."

If you're a pharmacy in Northern Ireland and would like support to get a better understanding of your ordering, chat to our local Cambrian Alliance Business Manager, Greg Pattison.