Case study:
SG Barai Pharmacy

Reaching patients quicker and improving service uptake with SMS messaging

For 45 years, the Barai family have run the much-loved SG Barai Pharmacy, supporting the local community in Sutton.

Before 2020, the nine staff members in this independent community pharmacy often struggled to reach patients by phone and prescriptions would pile up. But after discovering Accurx, they’re now providing a more timely and responsive service to patients.

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Impact at a glance:

Quicker collection of prescriptions

Rise in blood pressure checks and flu/COVID appointments

Improved relationships with patients

Context: delays and unanswered calls

Before 2020, the team at SG Barai Pharmacy struggled to communicate quickly and efficiently with patients. At the time, staff would typically contact patients by phone, doing this whenever they needed to get in touch about prescriptions, blood pressure checks, appointments or any other needs that patients had.

However, patients would often miss their calls or – seeing an unknown number come up on their phone – choose not to pick up. A growing pile of prescriptions built up, and there would often be delays getting hold of patients for the New Medicines Service.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pharmacy started using Accurx to communicate with patients.

Today the pharmacy use Accurx to:

Tell patients their prescriptions are ready or give options if medications are out of stock.

Remind patients about any appointments they have (e.g. COVID vaccinations) and invite them for blood pressure checks

Update patients on new services and signpost them to other local healthcare providers.

Share safety netting advice and self-care resources, or ask patients to send photos (e.g of a rash or discharge prescription).

Contact local GPs quickly and reliably, using the only platform chosen by 98% of GP practices.

Support the New Medicines Service (NMS) and Community Pharmacy Consultation Service (CPCS).

What’s the impact been?

Since using Accurx, the pharmacy has increased the number of appointments for vaccinations (COVID and flu) and blood pressure checks. Staff have noticed that patients are collecting prescriptions more promptly, while the team now use collection visits as a chance to schedule health checks (such as blood pressure) whenever possible. Using SMS messages to remind patients about their upcoming vaccination has also resulted in fewer wasted COVID vaccines.

 The team also report a positive change in their interactions and relationships with patients. With most of the pharmacy’s patients over 65, they’ve been pleased to see these patients embrace the new system.

Prescriptions no longer pile up

More blood pressure checks, fewer wasted vaccines

Quicker, more efficient service for patients

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45 years of supporting the community in Sutton

Using Accurx has brought us into the 21st century for sure. We need to be efficient with our time and communicate with patients in a way that works for them. Using the messaging facility of Accurx has been a game changer for us. We are excited to start using some of the other features of the software including video consulting, batch messaging and patient questionnaires. All of these functions will be really useful to support us as we implement new services such as Pharmacy First.

Reena Barai, Pharmacist and owner of SG Barai Pharmacy

What else can you do with Accurx?

Message patients, using quick-to-use templates and questionnaires.

Hold video consultations quickly and securely with patients.

Manage cohorts of patients easily with patient lists.

Message patient GPs and get a summary of a patient’s GP records.

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Read the full case study