Peak Pharmacy

Peak Pharmacy invests in new technology to support staff and customers

Chesterfield-based Peak Pharmacy has invested in new, innovative equipment to speed up its processes, along with improving accuracy and capacity.

The organisation recently moved to a new headquarters at the Horizon 29 development near Chesterfield and is now investing in an Austrian system provided by Knapp to improve the way it dispenses medications for customers.

Managing Director, Joe Cattee explained: “Knapp partners with a number of organisations within the country already and supports with the ability to pick products by using fully automated and manual picking zones for speed and convenience.

“The attraction to work with this provider was that they have designed a system that enables us to dispense patients’ medication at our site. This takes this workload out of community pharmacy and creates capacity within our pharmacy network for our teams to support patients in different ways.

“The machine is significantly more accurate than human dispensing, and the speed in which we can dispense medication means that we can do approximately half of all the prescriptions we do on a monthly basis through our Hub. Clearly, there will be some requirements to support and educate both our pharmacy teams and patients, but it enables us to revolutionise what we do under extremely challenging conditions.”

The new technology is helping Peak Pharmacy to revolutionise how it operates, enabling the business to continue thriving during a challenging economic climate.

Joe Cattee added: “Community pharmacy is vastly underfunded across England. It’s being reported that 8 pharmacies a week are closing in the current climate with funding decreases between 2015 & 2019, and a flat fee funding contract introduced from 2019 – 2024. This obviously has a detrimental effect on the million visits to community pharmacy in England every day.

“By investing in automation at our Hub, we reduce the stress and pressure on our pharmacy teams, ensuring a better level of patient care is provided. The launch of the ‘Pharmacy First’ scheme on 31st January 2024, enabling community pharmacy to treat seven common health conditions without visiting a GP, shows the direction of travel that community pharmacy needs to undertake.

“By removing dispensing volume across our estate, and assembling centrally, we can ensure a more accurate and timely service of medication provision, whilst also having capacity to engage in more NHS and private services to support patient wellbeing. In short, if we don’t adapt then we will not remain a viable business. Community pharmacy plays a huge part in supporting the country, but the financial reimbursement for what we do means that the costs of running our business now outweigh the revenue we receive for the services we provide.”

Speaking of the company’s recent relocation to the Horizon 29 development, Joe commented: “Relocating to our new Hub at Horizon 29 in Bolsover enables the closure of our multi-site depots across Derbyshire. This creates efficiencies, consolidating the operation under one roof with the ability to start afresh with a new automative system.

“We currently process around 1.5% of the country’s prescriptions across our 140 pharmacy branches, and this need to adapt what we do ensures that we’re at the forefront of community pharmacy. This creates an opportunity for us to survive during very real economic challenges. We must engage with other ways to support our patients, rather than just focusing on prescription fulfilment. By using technology I know that we can offer so much more to our patients across the country and support them with their requirements.”

If your business is based in Chesterfield and you’re looking for support to innovate and grow, find out more about the latest initiatives on our business support page.

Peak Pharmacy supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

Knapp automative system at Peak Pharmacy headquarters

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Careers in healthcare and how to start your journey

Considering a career in healthcare but unsure where to start? Healthcare is a huge sector that supports hundreds of career paths, meaning there is a job role to suit every background and skill set.

Keep reading to find out why a career in healthcare can be rewarding and to learn about the different career routes to start out in the industry.


Which careers in healthcare can I choose from?

Everyone in the healthcare sector must work towards a common goal – to provide the best care for their patient. You might diagnose physical illnesses and refer for treatment. You could advise on medication, or you could deliver talking therapies. And not forgetting, you might work in a non-clinical role which makes a significant contribution to patient care.

Whichever career in healthcare you choose, you’ll certainly find opportunities in Chesterfield where you can make a difference.


What career routes are available in healthcare?

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships can offer an ideal route to your career in healthcare. It means you can earn while you learn and gain a qualification. You can complete an apprenticeship from Level 2, right up to degree level.

We spoke to apprentices from Chesterfield Royal Hospital and Peak Pharmacy, to find out why they chose the apprenticeship route.

Apprentice Town - Find Your Apprenticeship - Social Media Landscape2

Apprentice Town – Find Your Apprenticeship

Peak Pharmacy

Emmie-Mai Hunt, Level 2 Pharmacy Assistant, said: “I became an apprentice as I enjoy practical learning. After 2 years at college, studying a course completely different, I was unsure what career I wanted to pursue. However, I saw this and thought what a great way to earn money whilst learning about something I enjoy – medicine.

If you’re considering an apprenticeship in healthcare, I say go for it! There is never a dull moment. Whether this be with customers or colleagues. The number of opportunities it opens up is never ending.”

Chesterfield Royal Hospital

Clare Smith is a Level 6 Apprentice Diagnostic Radiographer. She said: “By undertaking an apprenticeship, I have been able to further develop my communication skills and critical thinking. I have learnt to facilitate interprofessional collaboration and share clinical judgement to ensure the best possible outcomes.”

Kari Whitaker is a Level 5 Staff Development and Apprenticeship Practitioner. She explained: “My apprenticeship has given me a solid foundation of knowledge and clinical skills, which enables me to pass this on to learners. It has also given me the experience to guide and advise experienced staff that will be supporting the new starters in their work areas.”

Not only can you work towards an apprenticeship in clinical roles, but you can also gain a qualification in a clerical role. Nathan Marriot tells us more about his level 3 apprenticeship in the video below.


Trainee Placement

Ever considered a trainee placement? A placement prepares you for employment or an apprenticeship by allowing you to take part in an education and work experience.

Sidonie Herring, Level 4 Trainee Counsellor at The Therapy and Lifestyle Clinic, said:

“I became a trainee because I wanted a complete career change. I wanted to make sure that I trained properly in this field and took the steps necessary.

The best thing about my placement is the team and support I receive. I feel like it’s a great environment to learn and grow, as well as have the freedom to develop my counselling style.

My placement offers opportunities to attend workshops to develop mental health and counselling skills, no matter how much experience you have AND provide workshops for clients which is great to be a part of. By working in the mental health sector of healthcare it’s highlighted to me how the demand for more mental health help is needed for the public. I like that I have the opportunity to contribute to this.”

Sidonie Herring at The Therapy Lifestyle Clinic


Inspired by the range of careers in healthcare?

With affordable housing and great transport links, starting your career in Chesterfield is a no brainer. If you enjoyed reading what local people think about careers in the healthcare sector, please do look at the career routes on offer with Chesterfield businesses. We’d love to share your story soon.

Browse apprenticeship vacancies in Chesterfield…

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Peak Pharmacy set to move to ultra-modern headquarters in North Derbyshire

Work has begun in Derbyshire to build a new ultra-modern headquarters for Peak Pharmacy, which will process millions of prescriptions per year for their patients.

Called Project Horizon, the multi-million pound venture at Markham Vale near junction 29A of the M1 signals a new chapter for the Chesterfield-based company.

The new Pharmacy Service Centre will handle prescriptions and dispatch medicines for the firm’s 150 community pharmacies across England. Prescriptions will be assembled for individual patients, then either delivered to local pharmacies for collection the next day, or direct to patients’ homes.

The facility will use state-of-the-art robots and automated systems to support staff handling over 400,000 medicines and other prescribed items every month – that’s 20,000 a day, more than 40 every minute.

Peak Pharmacy’s move is in response to caps in Government funding, which mean that pharmacy businesses are having to be more efficient in how they handle prescriptions. Centralising the process will also free up local pharmacists and Peak Pharmacy staff to provide other services for patients, such as vaccinations, blood pressure checks and healthy living advice.

Managing Director Joe Cattee, whose parents Peter and Jane founded Peak Pharmacy in 1981, said: “These are ambitious plans for our company, staff and customers – in the face of a rapidly changing pharmacy landscape.

“This will be transformational for us. We’re investing now to future-proof our business, so that we can continue to provide great local customer service which means so much to us.”

The new hub is due to open in April next year. It will house up to 100 staff, with the potential to grow into a 24-hour operation in future.

Peak Pharmacy is planning to be in a position to offer a centralised dispensing service to other independent pharmacies which don’t have the resources to develop their own centralised service, should the legislation allowing this change in the near future.

Mr Cattee added: “We’re inviting other pharmacies to contact us now, so we can show them how our hub can benefit them too.”

The company is investing more than £20m on Project Horizon, a significant proportion of which will be spent on automation technology. Around 40% of all prescriptions can be processed in this way.

The project will replace five smaller existing Peak Pharmacy sites in Derbyshire.  The new hub, on the site of the former Coalite coking plant in Bolsover, will:

  • Cover 113,000 square feet
  • Have a continued focus on sustainability, with energy efficiency measures, electric charge points for colleague and business vehicles, major tree-planting and a bat box
  • Provide an excellent working environment for staff, including a canteen and leisure facilities

Peak Pharmacy supports the marketing and economic growth of the town through Chesterfield Champions, a network of over 200 organisations across Chesterfield and North Derbyshire.

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