FAQ

Most common questions

Does Phlo Connect work with
Private healthcare providers?

Yes, we work with a range of digital healthcare providers, telemedicine providers and traditional “bricks and mortar” healthcare operators looking to provide an integrated pharmacy service to their patients.

Does Phlo Connect work with
NHS healthcare providers?

Yes, as a registered NHS distance selling pharmacy, we can process acute and repeat NHS prescriptions for all patients based in England. We are not able to process NHS prescriptions in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Does Phlo carry out bespoke
work for partners?

Yes, if a partner requires specific integration work outside of what is currently available, we can work with your team to create a system that works for you. Please note that depending on the scope of the project there may be additional charges and lead time attached to any bespoke work. We will discuss the specifics with you during the consultation process.

How much does it cost
to integrate with Phlo Connect?

If you meet our minimum volume targets, there is no cost to integrating with Phlo Connect. If, however, your anticipated volumes are less then there is an annual service fee of £750 ex VAT to integrate with Phlo Connect.

Is transferring prescriptions
via your API secure?

Yes. Our API is available over HTTPS which means data is encrypted from your application to our servers. Each account which accesses our API requires a pair of authorization tokens which are provided to account holders. These can be compared to a username and password and must be provided with every API request. This ensures all API access is from authorized parties only.

Company information/background

Is Phlo Connect
a registered Pharmacy?

Phlo Connect is the brand name we adopted for our Pharmacy as a Service offering. Our technology stack, pharmacy operations and clinical care are all carried about by Phlo Digital Pharmacy which is a registered NHS distance selling pharmacy with hubs in London and Birmingham.

What is the relationship between
Phlo Digital Pharmacy and Phlo Connect?

Both Phlo Digital Pharmacy and Phlo Connect brands are owned by our parent company Phlo Technologies Ltd. Phlo Connect uses Phlo Digital Pharmacy’s technology, Pharmacy and logistics platform to offer Pharmacy services to third party healthcare providers.

Where is Phlo based?

Phlo Currently operates out of two pharmacy hubs in London and Birmingham.

Who is the contact for media/PR enquiries?

For any media or PR enquiries please contact jess.farmery@somx.co.uk

How is Phlo Connect different
from other online Pharmacies?

Phlo Connect is an API driven Pharmacy infrastructure platform that enables our partners to offer a seamless digital pharmacy experience to their patients. Phlo can deliver your patients medication via our same-day delivery or national mail order service which covers the UK, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.

Do you work with partners on an exclusive basis?

No, Phlo operates with a wide variety of healthcare providers offering bespoke services which suit the needs of the healthcare partner and their patients.

Does Phlo Connect have an NHS contract?

Phlo Connect runs off the pharmacy infrastructure platform built for Phlo Digital Pharmacy which is a registered distance selling Pharmacy in England.

Service Questions

Does Phlo Connect work with Private healthcare providers?

Does Phlo Connect work with NHS healthcare providers?

Yes, Phlo Connect can work with an NHS England healthcare provider. We can handle acute and repeat prescriptions plus controlled medication. Unfortunately we are unable to work with any NHS providers issuing prescriptions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Does Phlo Connect work with Welsh/Northern Irish and Scottish NHS boards?

No, unfortunately the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish systems do not accommodate digital pharmacies.

Does Phlo Connect work with private healthcare providers in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales?

Yes, however we would only be able to offer our national mail order service.

What delivery services does Phlo Connect offer?

We offer two types of delivery services:

‍1. Same-Day Delivery
‍In our real-time delivery zones patients can select a 4-hour time slot for delivery on a day that suits them.

‍2. National Mail Order
‍We offer a Next-day and 48-hour mail order service across the UK, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.

Where does Phlo Connect provide a same-day delivery service?

Currently we offer this service to our third-party healthcare providers in London and Birmingham. We have plans to expand this service to more cities across England initially in due course.

How many Pharmacies does Phlo Connect operate?

Phlo owns and operates two pharmacies located in Birmingham and London.

How much does it cost to integrate with Phlo Connect?

This varies depending on the provider. Generally, patients of the third party healthcare provider pay for their medication plus any delivery costs. However, our standard process is the patient will pay for the medication plus associated delivery costs.

We also offer a dispensing fee model where the healthcare provider pays Phlo for the medication, a dispensing fee and associated delivery costs (this is dependent on your own business model and the commercial relationship with your patients.

Who pays for the medication?

Is delivery free?

Delivery is either paid for by the end patient or the healthcare provider. We can discuss the details of your delivery needs as part of our initial consultation.

Does Phlo Connect offer a dispensing fee model?

Yes.

Will Phlo send medication in our branded packaging?

Yes, if this is a requirement from a prospective partner, we will look at the impact this has operationally, and the anticipated volumes associated with the healthcare provider in question.

Does Phlo Connect only work with "Health-tech" companies?

No, we work with all healthcare providers whether you are a digital health business or a traditional “bricks and mortar” clinic. We work with telemedicine providers to clinics on Harley Street.

Do you handle over the counter items?

Yes, if this is part of your medication requirements, we can discuss the specifics as part of the onboarding process.

Do I need to be CQC registered to work with Phlo Connect?

Our preference is that our healthcare providers are registered with the CQC as it speeds up the onboarding process of any new partner. However, if you are not CQC registered or in the process of registering with the CQC we can work with you however you will need to satisfy our clinical due diligence process. We can discuss individual circumstances during your initial consultation.

Onboarding questions

How long does it take to onboard a new healthcare provider?

Depending on the technical/clinical work required we have onboarded new partners within 4 weeks of the initial consultation. However, the exact time it takes to onboard a new healthcare partner varies from provider to provider. Once our team understand your requirements, we will agree a roadmap and timeline for deliverables.

Do I need my own technical resource to integrate with Phlo Connect?

This depends on the type of integration you require. We have options which require no technical resource however if you are looking to use our API offering this does require technical knowledge/ resource to implement.

API/Technical questions

How do I get access to your API?

To access to the Phlo Connect API please contact our engineering team. Our engineering team will provide you with all the details required to begin development within the Phlo Connect Sandbox environment. Once you are happy you have completed your integration you will be provided with all the details you need to switch over to our production environment.

Do you have an SDK?

We don’t currently have any SDKs, but the Phlo Connect API is a standard JSON API and simple to integrate with. The Phlo Connect API is produced to OpenAPI standards, which means tools such as Postman can be used to generate code examples for all modern tech stacks.

Is transferring prescriptions via your API secure? (Is your API secure)

Yes.Our API is available over HTTPS which means data is encrypted from your application to our servers.Each account which accesses our API requires a pair of authorization tokens which are provided to account holders. These can be compared to a username and password and must be provided with every API request. This ensures all API access is from authorized parties only.

How often do you update your API?

We do not have a fixed release schedule, but updates are carried out on a regular basis as we look to provide more value to our partners. We ensure our partners know about any releases in advance and that there will be no breaking changes.

What do I do if I need help integrating with your API?

Contact our engineering team. We are always happy to help.

Where do I report issues with your API?

Please raise any issues with our engineering team. We’re always happy to help.

What technologies does your API work with?

The Phlo Connect API is a standard JSON API and simple to integrate with using any technology. The Phlo Connect API is produced to OpenAPI standards, which means tools such as Postman can be used to generate code examples for all modern tech stacks.

How do you contact patients?

We usually contact patients via email/SMS. This however depends on the integration method chosen by the healthcare provider and what details they collect from the patient. We usually contact patients via email/SMS.

Do you ID patients?

Our preferred process is for our healthcare partners to identify the patient before sending the prescription to Phlo. We would agree this process with you as part of the onboarding process.

Have a question?

Most common questions

Company information/background

Service Questions

Onboarding questions

API/Technical questions