PharmShop methodology: how procurement evidence is kept explainable

1. Preserve the original request

Imported order demand is retained separately from any supplier result. This prevents downstream matching changes from overwriting what the dispensary originally asked to source.

2. Resolve a canonical medicine identity

PharmShop is designed to use dm+d-led identity to establish the medicine, formulation, strength and pack before comparing supplier results. Supplier descriptions are evidence for a match, not the canonical source of the medicine itself.

3. Record match confidence and exceptions

Strong identifier or exact-pack matches should be distinguishable from fallback text matches. Where evidence is insufficient, the system should reject or flag the result rather than silently forcing a match.

4. Keep acquisition and reimbursement data separate

Supplier account prices belong to the commercial layer. Drug Tariff and official reimbursement information belong to the NHS reference layer. They can be analysed together while retaining separate provenance.

5. Retain time and source

Prices, availability and reimbursement values change. A useful record includes when the result was observed and the source period to which it applies.

6. Explain the selected option

A recommended supplier should have a reason: exact product match, availability, comparable pack, effective cost and relevant basket or scheme constraints. “Cheapest” by itself is not enough.

7. What our public catalogue counter measures

The live homepage figure is a database aggregate of supplier-specific catalogue entries with a product code and description. The catalogue can contain the same medicine at multiple suppliers and potentially more than one listing per pack. Therefore catalogue entries are not a count of unique NHS medicine packs.

The accompanying seven-day metric counts listings whose supplier record was observed or refreshed within the last seven days. This is a measure of catalogue recency, not proof that current account stock, a valid unit price or a clinically acceptable product match has been checked. The supplier-channel metric counts distinct connected portal channels represented in the index.

These aggregate figures are refreshed on the public homepage approximately every five minutes. No supplier identifiers, proprietary account quotes, credentials, individual product records or patient information are included in the public API response. Failure to fetch a fresh aggregate is shown as unavailable, rather than presenting a fabricated count.

What a buyer must still check: the exact dm+d medicine and presentation, pack size, available stock, supplier account eligibility, current acquisition price, applicable reimbursement period, commercial conditions and the complete staged basket before authorising any purchase.

Public versus private information

These public pages describe methodology and procurement concepts. Organisation-specific supplier credentials, account prices, order data and purchasing history remain inside the authenticated application and are not intended for public indexing.