PharmaKey

Overview

PharmaKey is a Cornwall-based recruitment specialist with over 30 years of experience connecting pharmacies with qualified locums across the UK. As their client base grew, so did the complexity of their operations. Managing schedules, confirming bookings, and tracking locums had become time-consuming and error-prone. Manual systems left staff dealing with duplicate bookings, missed confirmations, and delays that made it harder to compete with other agencies.

PharmaKey wanted a solution that would simplify booking management, reduce human error, and help them secure more placements efficiently.

The challenge

PharmaKey’s team was juggling multiple spreadsheets, emails, and manual processes to manage locum scheduling. Every booking required personal follow-ups with stores and locums, and confirming shifts involved generating PDFs by hand. The system made it difficult to see availability at a glance or prevent overlapping bookings.

On top of this, responding quickly to new shift openings was a constant challenge. By the time staff reached out to locums manually, competitors often filled the same shifts first.

The result was frustration, inefficiency, and lost opportunities — exactly the sort of problem automation could solve.

Our approach

We started by understanding how PharmaKey’s staff worked day to day — what slowed them down, what information they needed most, and where automation could make the biggest impact. From there, we designed a centralised booking system built around the specific way their business operates, not the other way around.

We prioritised simplicity and clarity, ensuring that every feature — from recording store and locum details to confirming bookings — worked in a way that saved time and reduced effort.

Our solution

We built a custom booking platform that centralises every aspect of PharmaKey’s operations. Staff can now store and manage details for locums, pharmacies, and bookings in one secure, easy-to-use system. PDF confirmations are automatically generated and emailed to both stores and locums, removing manual steps and eliminating double bookings.

To give PharmaKey a competitive edge, we later added automation that imports available shifts directly from partner stores and automatically emails suitable locums with work offers. This means shifts are filled faster, with fewer missed opportunities, and the system continually builds a growing database of trusted contacts.

The results

PharmaKey now enjoys a smoother, faster workflow that keeps bookings accurate and efficient.

• Bookings are processed in less time, with fewer manual steps
• Double bookings have been eliminated
• Staff have instant access to locum and store information
• Automated shift ingests allow PharmaKey to secure more placements, faster than competitors

The result is a business that runs more efficiently and serves clients and locums with greater speed and confidence — backed by ongoing support and maintenance to ensure the system continues to evolve with their needs.