Interview: Well Pharmacy CEO John Nuttall on driving change with technology

Well Pharmacy is well established as a business yet still in its infancy as a brand.

Born out of the Co-Operative Pharmacy when it was acquired by British conglomerate Bestway Group, the company is today embarking on a tech-led mission to improve the customer experience and transform what people expect from their local pharmacy.

At Bdaily, we caught up with CEO John Nuttall about the challenges facing Well in 2017 and his hopes for the business in the near future.

“What we’re trying to do with the business is change pharmacy,” John said as he looked back over the firm’s achievements in 2016. “The biggest highlight last year was our significant investment in technology.

“We’re expecting to see the fruits of that strategy in the next two to three years.

“Ultimately it will help us offer a better experience for the customer – whether that’s someone walking into a Well Pharmacy branch off the street or someone we’re helping in the care home sector.”

Technology, John explained, sits firmly at the fore of Well’s strategy. “We’re embracing technology to drive change and improve our performance.”

The obstacles Well has had to overcome in recent months have been sector wide.

“The biggest challenge for pharmacy overall,” he said, “is the Government.

“The sector’s going through some really difficult times, particularly since the Government cut funding for pharmacy in December last year.”

There’s a big missed opportunity here for the Government in utilising pharmacy in the community

The sector is facing further potential cuts, while at the same time the needs of patients across the UK continue to steadily rise.

“Here at Well, we’ve got more and more customers coming into our stores, dealing with more prescriptions than ever before,” John continued. “And all the while the overall funding package from the Government is much reduced.”

In John’s view, the Government could be engaging with pharmacy to make best use of the sector.

“There’s a big missed opportunity here for the Government in utilising pharmacy in the community to take the pressure off other parts of the NHS. It’s something we’ve been trying to campaign for a number of years.

“But we don’t seem to be making headway with the various stakeholders in the NHS.”

We quizzed John on his thoughts regarding Prime Minister Theresa May’s Industrial Strategy. Does he foresee the new Government plan, unveiled earlier this year, having a tangible impact on the Northern economy?

“I’ve lived and worked in the North West all my life. From a consumer perspective I’ve seen the very positive changes, particularly in and around Manchester where there’s been significant improvements in transport and infrastructure.

“I think it’s good to see an Industrial Strategy that sets out where we’re going to invest, to see the Government acknowledging the need for that investment to be balanced geographically.”

We’re independent, British and growing

However, John said he believes more can always be done for the North.

“If you look at the investment across the country, the lion’s share is still going to London and the South East.

“More needs to be done to promote the North, to carry on the work of George Osborne and what he started with the Northern Powerhouse – creating an environment where people want to come and invest, allowing this area to continue to grow.”

Today, Well is the UK’s third-biggest pharmacy chain.

“We want people viewing us as a corporate to see that we are independent, which isn’t necessarily the case with our competitors. We’re independent, British and growing.

“That sets us apart from some of the competition operating here in the UK, some of which aren’t growing and investing in the way we are.

“From a consumer perspective, we take a local approach and consider ourselves to be the friendly face of pharmacy. Connecting with customers on a local level is important to us. Maintaining that local, friendly feel is a challenge for the biggest chains.”

Well has some ambitious plans in the pipeline for the next five years, which will include expanding into other sectors and diversifying to reduce its reliance on NHS and Government revenue.

It’s a great example of technology playing a part in helping to improve patient safety and compliance

John explained: “At the moment we’ve got a sizable, growing business supplying care homes. It’s called CarePlus – a technology service for care homes, through which we can provide the residents’ prescriptions.

“CarePlus is dynamic and new, and so far it’s been really well received by the care home sector.

“It’s a great example of technology playing a part in helping to improve patient safety and compliance. All this in a sector equally challenged by funding.”

Well also wants to embrace technology at the core retail level.

“We want to bring some of the more mainstream technologies seen in other sectors into pharmacy, which will help us offer the customer a smoother, more convenient experience.

“So the future’s bright for us. These are fairly challenging times, but we remain optimistic for what we’d like to deliver in the long term.”

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