Rowlands will take over five hospital pharmacies in the Greater Manchester area from Lloydspharmacy after it won a “competitive tender process” commissioned by two NHS Trusts, it told C+D this week (July 23).

A spokesperson for the multiple told C+D that it would take over the running of the hospital branches from December this year.

With the addition of these branches, Rowlands will operate 15 hospital pharmacies, in addition to 313 community pharmacies, its spokesperson told C+D.

The tenders issued by the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust related to a total of six hospital pharmacies, including one that Rowlands has operated since 2015, the multiple said.

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The hospital pharmacies that fall under the new tender are situated at:

• Manchester Royal Eye Hospital - Oxford Road Campus
• Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital - Oxford Road Campus
• North Manchester General Hospital
• Salford Royal Hospital
• Royal Oldham Hospital
• Wythenshawe Hospital

Rowlands’ spokesperson said the new sites “match the profile” of its existing outpatient dispensary contracts in England’s northwest, where the multiple boasts “a large footprint of community and hospital pharmacies”.

 

“Dynamic hospital outpatient dispensaries”

 

In a LinkedIn post last week (July 18), Rowlands speciality contracts manager Perveen Bhardwaj said that the addition of these pharmacies “highlights [the multiple’s] dedication to exploring speciality contracts beyond community pharmacy”.

Bhardwaj said that Rowlands is “excited” to offer its pharmacists and “pharmacy colleagues” the opportunity to work in “dynamic hospital outpatient dispensaries”.

He added that Rowlands has an “unwavering commitment to enhancing outpatient dispensaries nationwide and supporting millions of patients”.

Read more: Rowlands sets out ‘close, merge, dispose’ strategy amid £219m loss in 2022/23

Earlier this month, C+D revealed that Victoria Steele would leave her role as Lloydspharmacy Healthcare Services’ top pharmacist and the wider Hallo Healthcare Group (HHG) “this summer”.

Steele had served as superintendent pharmacist for Lloydspharmacy before the multiple sold all of its community pharmacies, moving to its NHS hospitals, prisons, “community health trusts” and private sector arm - known as Lloydspharmacy Healthcare Services - in November.

Meanwhile, C+D last month reported that Rowlands trainee placements were down 90% as it offered just 48 places in England for the 2024/25 training year.

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In January, a group of locum pharmacists working for Rowlands said they felt “intimidated to deliver Pharmacy First services” at the multiple.

And in November, Rowlands set out a “close and, merge and disposal” strategy amid £219 million losses in 2022/23 - an increase of more than 500% from the previous year.