Lee Horn has overhauled the drugs storage and ordering process on Day Surgery Unit at HRI with a view to making savings.
Acting on his own initiative he has also set up a returns and refunds arrangement so unused drugs with plenty of date left can be returned and further savings made.
So far he reckons between £3,000 to £4,000 has been refunded within a couple of weeks which is tremendous saving. Imagine if that could be replicated across CHFT?
His efforts have included:
- Inter-ward transfer forms for pharmacy stock which accurately monitor where stock is actually being used once issued to your ward areas. Once these forms are completed any stock taken from the DSU and usedelse where will be booked back into Pharmacy Stores and re-issued to the appropriate ward. This helps with ward costings, stock levels, replenishments and medicine security.
- Working with the ward co-ordinator to better control stock levels and in some places stock has been placed at request only. This will mean that far fewer medicines will expire on the ward.
- Introducing a new pharmacy stock fridge instead of keeping stock in a number of smaller fridges to prevent over-ordering due to people not knowing where to look for stock.
- Setting up a green ‘pharmacy returns’ box which is collected weekly. Full packs with plenty of date on them will be given a refund.
- Reviewing the use and ordering of Sponostan dressings to save money caused by stock expiring.
- Compiling a high cost drugs list so colleagues on the ward can see which items they need to be more cautious about when ordering or adjusting stock levels.
Clinical Operations Manager, Victoria Smith, has already thanked Lee for the initiative shown. She said: "Lee - thank you for your continued support and effort with streamlining our pharmacy stock. You are extremely professional and very thorough. Most of this you have taken on using your own initiative and a huge credit to you for the cost savings you have made to-date. You are a gift to the organisation in these trying financial times."