Case study: Unifying GP-Pharmacy communications in NHS South Yorkshire ICB

Using Accurx to solve National Out of Stock (OOS) medication challenges.

South Yorkshire ICB identified that both GPs and Pharmacies in the area were overwhelmed with the communication between care settings.
With multiple channels used for communication, frequent delays, and miscommunications around out-of-stock medications, South Yorkshire ICB sought to make this more efficient, collaborative, and facilitate better relationships between these Primary Care teams.
Read the full story, and understand how they achieved this across the ICB
Learnings, wins, and tips to help other ICB’s improve their GP-Pharmacy communication
Read the blog

Impact at a glance:

Streamlined channels of communication

The communication that previously happened via multiple channels now happens consistently via Accurx

Read & actioned in 55 minutes

99% OOS notifications are read, and 98% with further action taken e.g. saved to record with a median read time of only 55 minutes

A more connected Primary Care team

Practices were really positive about having a direct line of communication for out of stock medicine queries that works in conjunction with their existing patient systems.

Liz Hilbert, Project Support, MOT, SYICB

The old way: fragmented communication

Pharmacists often had to make phone calls, send emails or even convey the message in person to the GP, leading to long wait times, missed messages, and patient delays in receiving alternative prescriptions. The inefficiencies caused frustration for practice staff, pharmacists, and ultimately impacted patients.

The national issue around medicine stock problems was not going to go away. In fact - we knew it was likely to get worse, which was taking away valuable patient-facing clinical time for both GPs and Pharmacists.

Razwan Saleem - Strategic Pharmacist in the Medicines Optimisation Team (MOT) SY ICB

Establishing a standardised, and secure communication channel

The ICB, in partnership with Community Pharmacy South Yorkshire, sought to enable real-time messaging and faster resolution of medication supply issues to give patients continued access to their required medications.

Here’s how the system works:

1
Stakeholder engagement across the ICB happened alongside engagement with GP Practices and Community Pharmacies in South Yorkshire to understand “a walk in my shoes” and the true reality of the problems faced, led by the Medicine Optimisation Team.
2
With a clear idea of where impact could be made, the solution was presented to relevant internal and external parties, and gained full support to put plans into action.
3
The solution was piloted within 1 PCN (Rother Valley South) to prove the benefits, and assess the impact this could have.
4
Following a successful pilot, the ICB entered into a phased rollout - approaching this place by place and offering training to teams in these areas. With each rollout, a date was set for the “Go-Live” and communicated weekly by the ICB as a countdown to change.
5
Regular touch points are in place to ensure every team feels supported through the change journey.

What’s changed?

The relationship between Primary Care teams in South Yorkshire is stronger than ever

Pharmacy and GP have a channel they can rely on for quick and effective communication.

Easier management of communication

Workflows are smoother, with one channel for communication vs. many, and there is a clear audit trail of the transaction, saved directly into the patients record in one-click.

Patients experience faster, and more joined-up care

Using Accurx to help us manage out of stock medicine request changes from community pharmacies and patients has been transformational.


We were struggling to cope with the number of out of stock messages and the workload of this, and were also concerned about the clinical governance and safety issues itwas raising.


We were convinced that the pilot could be effective because of the leadership and support offered, together with practice familiarity of Accurx and its ability to save directly into the clinical record to provide consistency of record and governance.

We now have a consistent process that is fully embedded, efficiently managed and policed by our practice pharmacy teams with little input needed from other clinicians

Dr Tim Douglas GP Clinical Director for Rother Valley South, the pilot PCN

You can make similar changes in your ICB

The template designed by South Yorkshire ICB is nationally available in Accurx Web.
Accurx for Pharmacy

This project is a great example of what can be achieved when GPs and community pharmacies work together. By supporting a consistent, secure communication channel, we’ve helped streamline how out-of-stock medication issues are managed —saving time, reducing stress, and ultimately improving patient care.

Laura Richardson, Services & Engagement Lead, Community Pharmacy South Yorkshire (CPSY)