Helix Health acquires UK and Irish business of PharmaSys

• Combined business will represent c.1400 community pharmacies in the UK and ROI
• Helix Health to offer customers choice of locally installed system (QicScript PMR) or web-based system (pharmaSys)
• PharmaSys users to benefit from enlarged organisation and technical resources
• Both companies exhibited at the Pharmacy Show, Sep 30th – Oct 1st 2012 at the NEC Birmingham

Above: Brian Henderson, CEO of PharmaSys and Howard Beggs, CEO Helix Health at the Pharmacy Show


Helix Health, a leading provider of innovative healthcare solutions, is pleased to announce that it has agreed to acquire the UK and Irish business of pharmaSys, the independent provider of web-based pharmacy management systems. Both companies are exhibiting at the Pharmacy Show, Sep 30th – Oct 1st 2012 at the NEC Birmingham.

Helix Health has more than 25 years’ experience providing software and IT services to community pharmacies in the UK and Ireland and is an honorary member of the AIMp and a supplier partner to the NPA. QicScript PMR has been developed in consultation with leading UK pharmacists and industry bodies and is designed to be a fast, intuitive, feature rich system.

Helix Health offers a fresh approach to pharmacy IT in England: an innovative system designed around its customers’ needs underpinned by award-winning 362 day a year customer support. Further information on Helix Health is available at www.helixhealth.co.uk.

PharmaSys is the only web-based pharmacy management system currently commercially available in the UK. The business was established in 2005 and the first release of the pharmaSys software was in 2008, after gaining technical authority to deploy the ETP1 version from the NHS’ Connecting for Health. The highly innovative system offers a number of advantages over traditional, locally installed products and is widely used by independent pharmacists and multiple operators representing c.500 community pharmacy sites in England and Wales. PharmaSys is currently completing the final stage of the English NHS’ EPS2 accreditation process and is expected to receive full roll out approval shortly. Further information on pharmaSys is available at www.pharmaSysuk.com.

Helix Health is adding the PharmaSys web-based pharmacy management system to its product portfolio to complement its existing QicScript PMR locally installed system. Helix will continue to offer a choice of both systems to community pharmacy customers into the future. This will enable customers to select the system which most closely matches their future business needs and user / technical preferences, introducing a new level of choice into the UK pharmacy software marketplace. Both sets of customers will benefit from a collaborative approach to new feature development and an enhanced level of customer service.

Howard Beggs, CEO of Helix Health said: “We are delighted to have secured the acquisition of PharmaSys UK and Ireland and believe the product will be highly complementary to our existing product portfolio in the UK. I strongly believe that Helix Health’s dual product offering sets us ahead of other providers – our fresh approach to the market presents community pharmacists in England and Wales with a genuine alternative to existing systems providers.”

Brian Henderson, CEO of PharmaSys said: “I am extremely pleased to have entered into this agreement with Helix Health who share our determination to provide increased choice to pharmacists in the UK, and I am looking forward to continuing to develop the pharmaSys system with them. I have been very impressed with Helix Health’s record in community pharmacy in the UK and Ireland, particularly their customer focused approach and quality of customer support which I believe will benefit pharmaSys users. The dual product offering is very important benefit for our customers as pharmaSys users will now have access to an alternative EPS2 ready system until the pharmaSys approval process with the NHS’ Connecting for Health is completed.”