Cegedim Rx has appointed the former National Pharmacy Association director Phil Galt as its community pharmacy managing director in the UK.

Galt, who was also the managing director and superintendent pharmacist at Lindsay & Gilmour Pharmacy which has 32 branches in Scotland, said he will “accelerate” Cegedim’s “product innovation and revenue growth.” 

“I know the pressures of delivering frontline care in community pharmacy and just how challenging it can be to juggle this alongside managing a sustainable and profitable business,” said Galt. He takes over from Adam Dennett, who Cegedim said was stepping down after 10 years “to pursue a new career outside of healthcare.”

Describing Galt as “an industry visionary with a proven track record of execution,” Cegedim’s head of European operations Tristan de Foucher said: “We are delighted to have someone of his calibre and industry experience join the company. It is an exciting moment in the life of Cegedim Rx and we welcome his leadership to federate the team behind his expertise, enable enhanced support to pharmacists and deliver better patient outcomes.” 

Cegedim confirmed to Independent Community Pharmacist that they are the first IT provider to give pharmacists the capability to update the GP patent record with Pharmacy First consultation data.

Leanne Hackett, the senior product lead for Cegedim Healthcare Solution’s UK community pharmacy division, said they were "the first pharmacy provider to go live with GP Connect’s Update Record integration."

"Cegedim’s Pharmacy Services platform will enable functionality that will mean every user who completes a Pharmacy First, Contraception or Hypertension Case-Finding service will also update the patient’s GP record via GP Connect," she said. “It’s another important step towards community pharmacy working in closer collaboration with primary care, enabling more joined-up and informed decision making to support better patient outcomes, while saving clinical time through automation and integration with existing systems.

"It is also recognition of pharmacy’s clinical skill set and the vital role it plays in providing patients with an accessible, front door to care. We’re committed to continuing to work closely with the NHS to deliver the next phase of the GP Connect integration which will allow our community pharmacy customers to access more easily the GP patient care record, surfacing additional clinical details to further inform decision making in pharmacy and improve patient outcomes.”

Pictured: Adam Dennett (left) and Cegedim's new managing director Phil Galt.