UK pharmacy chain appoints Belfast’s Locate a Locum to deliver next-generation digital platform across 267 pharmacies

Day Lewis Pharmacy, one of the UK and Europe’s largest independent pharmacy chains, has appointed Northern Ireland healthcare technology innovator Locate a Locum to deliver and maintain a powerful new digital solution to improve locum resourcing and management across its 267-strong pharmacy network.

Based in Belfast, Locate a Locum, a pioneering on-demand provider of technology solutions to the UK healthcare sector, has already secured preferred supplier status with several of the UK’s largest pharmacy and optical organisations.

The fast-growing firm will now deliver a major cloud-based digital solution across the Day Lewis Pharmacy estate, providing locums with a new and innovative way to securely search, manage, request and get paid directly for shifts, dramatically improving its staff resourcing and team management capabilities.

The Locate a Locum digital platform, which will supply streamlined scheduling functionality and reporting to the company’s locum coordinators in its Croydon head office, also allows locum staff to better manage their own work diaries, location preferences and commitments, allowing them stress-free planning for healthier work-life balance.

Day Lewis Pharmacy executive director Sam Patel, said: “We had an old, slow proprietary platform and we wanted something faster and more user-friendly that would allow more locums to book instantly rather than necessarily waiting for feedback on every single shift booked – and particularly for last-minute bookings.

“It’s a great communication tool between potential locums and our locum coordinators and it means we have more opportunities to bring some of best locums in the country to come and work with us. Our customers are our number one priority and ensuring that they have the best staff and advice available when they need it is our priority too.”

From Darlington in County Durham to St Just in the tip of Cornwall, Day Lewis’ network supports over one million patients and employs over 2,500 staff.

“The Locate a Locum platform means we can pay our locums quickly, in time and in full, while locums benefit from the instant-book feature, which means they don’t have to wait to find out if a shift is confirmed. In a dynamic marketplace and amid growing demand for pharmacy services, this platform is a game-changer that unlocks potential and drives growth,” Sam explained.

Locate a Locum, which was founded by chief executive and trained pharmacist Jonathon Clarke in 2017, currently represents over 30 pharmacy organisations in 3,000 locations across the UK and Northern Ireland.

The Locate a Locum platform has over 30,000 registered locum pharmacists, representing the largest pool of locum pharmacists in the UK.

Jonathon continued: “Day Lewis Pharmacy is one of the UK and Europe’s biggest success stories and an award-winning employee-focused organisation that puts customers first and we’re delighted to be appointed to deliver an innovative, tech-rich solution that will support its continued growth ambitions.

“We worked closely with Sam and the team to meet their needs, ensuring efficiency, transparency and operational performance would assist in powering digital transformation and accelerating business growth.”

The new technology will be deployed in all its pharmacy outlets, and at head office, providing managers with an easy online solution to plan and manage staff rotas for seamless planning to ensure all locations are always resourced.

Established in 2017, Locate a Locum is an award-winning, pioneering on-demand provider of technology solutions to the UK pharmacy sector, driving digital transformation and value for the betterment of business, staff and customers.

In 2021, Locate a Locum was included in the UK’s Top 50 scaleup companies by tech group Silicon Valley Comes to the UK (SVC2UK), joining a select list of the country’s fastest-growing firms driving tech innovation and creativity.

In November last year, Locate a Locum joined Deloitte’s Fast 50 group of companies for the first time at 18th place, ranking it among the island of Ireland’s fastest-growing technology companies based on revenue growth over a four-year period.