Clinical Care Ltd

Clinical Care Limited is a fully licensed and certified online pharmacy based in Derby, that has been operating for the past 15 years, providing a door-to-door delivery service. Following a merger with a local competing pharmacy and now trading as Medicine Drop, the pharmacy is contracted by the NHS to receive, assemble and deliver NHS prescriptions throughout the UK. Working with GP’s, hospitals, care homes and wholesalers, as well as individuals, the company has built up a reputation in delivering a great customer focused service and has seen considerable growth in recent years.

Why engage with Invest to Grow?

Medicine Drop approached Invest to Grow for support with their pharmacy modernisation and expansion plans.  The company had identified the need to invest in automation technology – a state-of-the-art dispensing robot, whilst additional space was required to improve dispensing capacity and expand their coverage. The funding from ITG provided the financial support necessary to ensure these capital investments could take place. 

What has been the impact of Invest to Grow?

The loan and grant money proved invaluable in helping Medicine Drop navigate several operational challenges, enabling them to make revolutionary changes to the business and providing a strong foundation for the company to realise their future growth ambitions. The dispensing robot has significantly improved productivity bettered dispensing accuracy, increased storage and dispensing volumes by over 100%, and freed up time for pharmacists to dedicate to patient consultations and clinical services.

Introducing the latest technology and automation has reduced reliance on manual dispensing processes, helping Medicine Drop to maintain and improve service levels. The extended premises have allowed the optimisation of workflow and reduced operational bottlenecks that were affecting the company’s ability to meet ever increasing demand for their services.

“The investment has positioned us as a modern, forward-thinking pharmacy, better equipped to compete in an evolving healthcare landscape. Without this support, we would have faced significant delays in securing alternative financing, particularly given the challenging lending environment. Funding  from Invest to Grow enabled us to proceed with confidence and complete the installation and premises extension within our planned timeframe, allowing us to realise the benefits much sooner than would otherwise have been possible” - Director Danny Johal

“The team demonstrated a genuine understanding of business needs and were supportive in helping us achieve our objectives. The application process was straightforward, and the team provided clear guidance throughout. We would definitely recommend the programme to anyone suitable” - Danny Johal, remarking upon the company’s experience working with the Delivery Team at the University.

Following this initial support from ITG, the company has recently been successful in securing innovation funding from another programme managed by the University of Derby for a new project. This investment will build upon the success of Medicine Drop’s Invest to Grow supported project, enabling them to further increase operational capacity for blister pack medication, propelling the company to become one of the top 5 largest single site operations in the UK.  

Given their positive experience of working with the Delivery Team, moving forward Medicine Drop are interested in exploring future opportunities for collaboration with the University of Derby, particularly around business development, workforce training, and research initiatives relevant to pharmacy practice.