Brian Dougherty, The Specials Laboratory Ltd
Why are we ethical?
The Specials Laboratory is an independent company run by Pharmacists.
We use our formulation expertise to provide Community Pharmacists with appropriate custom made medicines for a variety of patients for whom a suitable licensed product is not available.
The Specials Laboratory keeps to the spirit, not just the letter, of all legislation and we have taken a stance on setting a particularly high standard in this type of manufacturing in terms of environment, cleanliness, facilities and also in service.
Our relationships with all those we deal with are a matter of pride. For example, we tell customers what we are going to do and then get back to them and keep them informed. Because many of our patients are children, or those whose need for the special medicine is urgent, we never turn anyone down with a real need. There have been times, for example when we have switched off the lights to go home and then had a call from a Pharmacists who needs a medicine for a young patient urgently. So we have switched the lights back on and made the medicine.
Fairness in pricing is another of the things we have taken a deliberate stance on. We have taken a view on setting a level and held it there.
What standards do we adhere to?
Financially audited and compliant with MHRA and all health and safety regulations, The Specials Laboratory works to all the licensed standards. But we have high social and service standards too.
Our service standards, in which 80% of requests are turned around in 24 hours, are unusual, if not unheard of, in the pharmaceutical industry.
Through a consultative and cooperative process we have created an internal Code of Conduct that ensures that everyone within our organisation is treated well and with respect and is aware of the behaviour we expect in return. The initiative is a reflection of our general attitude of setting the standard high and is really important to us all.
For the same reasons, we have environmental committees, providing training for individuals at home and engendering behaviours and knowledge that they bring into the office.
Why are we useful to society?
From small beginnings with three dedicated Pharmacists within a hospital department, and by growing largely through word of mouth recommendation, The Specials Laboratory has developed into a major local employer, providing jobs for 170 people and becoming an important force in the community. We consistently and enthusiastically support and participate in local schools and colleges’ education initiatives, helping to broaden young people’s understanding of this fascinating area of the pharmaceutical industry by hosting and encouraging school visits and providing careers information and insights. Now Goldman Visiting Professor of Business Innovation at Newcastle University, our MD Fiona Cruickshank is also proud to help inspire, encourage and support other businesses in the region.
As well as the individual within it, our industry as a whole makes an important contribution to society. There is a general drive within the industry to personalise medicine. As an industry that is totally geared toward patient need and closer to the patient than most of the pharmaceutical industry, ours is a really good model for pharmacy in the future.
How can we be seen as dynamic?
It is integral to our success that we continue to respond quickly to unpredictable and individual demand. As an industry we do not have any products and must be able to respond for example to changes in prescribing habits, as they occur. As a business, The Specials Laboratory is continually refining its model and the service it provides, upgrading and expanding manufacturing, looking at new formulas and adapting its organisation to keep up with both quality and turnaround commitments. This dynamic and flexible approach may be common in some industries like automotives, but it is rare in our type of manufacture.
How are we patient focussed?
Since we react purely to prescriptions our industry is entirely patient driven.
I cannot think of a business more patient focused and geared up to respond to patients. The Specials Laboratory provides purely tailor made medicines principally for paediatric patients, the elderly and those with allergies or swallowing difficulties. Our professional team is conscious that often there is a Doctor or Consultant with a neonate in front of him who needs to get tailor made medicine inside his patient quickly to alleviate the condition. To enable him to do so without crushing tablets, or opening capsules, the team at The Specials Laboratory will provide a medicine that totally suits the medical condition, age and weight of that child and can even make it taste nice to aid compliance.
Why are we reputable?
The Specials Laboratory has now been established for almost 10 years. We are judged on performance and in an industry where we do not have contracts and customers can leave us at any time, have built an enviable reputation for our high standards, approach to customers and service and are now quoted, by the PSNC, as one of the most ethical pharmacy companies.
The Association of Commercial Specials Manufacturers Limited. Registered in England and Wales, Company number 05015111, Unit 1, Regents Drive, Lower Prudhoe Industrial Estate, Prudhoe, Northumberland, NE42 6PX. Copyright 2009 ACSM, All rights reserved. Terms of Use