A CIMA-supervised bookkeeping practice for independent community pharmacies. Monthly NHS BSA reimbursement reconciliation, locum cost tracking, gross margin analysis by category, quarterly Controls Assurance statement. Fixed monthly fee from £500.
Book a 30-minute initial review →Most independent community pharmacies have an accountant who signs the books off in March, ten months after the year being described. The result is a twelve-month gap where nobody — owner or accountant — actually knows whether the numbers are right.
For a pharmacy, that gap is especially expensive. NHS BSA reimbursement runs roughly 60 days behind dispensing, and the variance between what you expected and what actually paid moves with every monthly Drug Tariff and concessionary price change. Category M reimbursements drift. Locum costs at £350–500 per day eat margin fast when permanent recruitment is hard. Gross margin by category — Rx vs OTC vs services — needs constant attention. Pharmacy First and other NHS commissioning revenues come on different cycles. None of this gets surfaced until the annual sign-off, by which point the year's already over and the cash position is whatever it is.
We close the gap. Continuous bookkeeping with a quarterly assurance check tied to published standards — every issue we surface is cited to a specific FRS 102 section or HMRC rule. You see your numbers monthly, with the BSA reconciliation matched off, not annually after the damage is done.
Every month, like clockwork. Every issue we raise is tied to a published accounting standard (FRS 102, FRS 105) or HMRC rule. Nothing is a black box.
Every transaction in Xero coded correctly. Locum costs separated from permanent payroll. NHS BSA receipts tagged for reconciliation. Concessionary pricing variance tracked. Bank feeds connected once, monthly cycle runs automatically.
Monthly reconciliation of expected vs actual BSA reimbursement, with the variance broken out by Category M, Category C, and concessionary price changes. Drift surfaced early — not in March when it's too late to challenge with the BSA.
Before every VAT return, we run the eight checks HMRC's own inspectors run. Dispensed medication zero-rated vs OTC standard-rated split done correctly. Partial exemption calculation if applicable. Errors caught before submission, not after.
A one-page client-facing assurance statement every quarter — “your books are sound, with the evidence.” Show it to your bank, your accountant, your auditor. Most independent pharmacies have never seen anything like it — useful for bank conversations and any future practice valuation.
Debtors (including BSA expected), creditors, payroll, VAT, locum costs broken out — all reconciled and packaged. Plus an issue log: every flag we raised, every standard we cited, every fix applied or recommended. Audit-trail ready.
Every issue we raise carries a citation: FRS 102 Section 21 for accruals and prepayments, Section 23 for revenue recognition, HMRC's published VAT inspection criteria. Nothing is “our opinion” — it's the standard.
Bookkeeping plus monthly P&L commentary, 13-week cash flow forecast (essential given the 60-day BSA reimbursement cycle), tax calendar with exact HMRC dates, and balance sheet health readout.
Full VFD service. Board pack monthly, strategic forecasting, gross margin and category mix modelling, locum cost planning, NHS contract revenue scenarios, monthly review call with Peter directly. Same engine, more depth.
I'm Peter Edwards. CIMA-qualified Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA CGMA) with twenty years of senior finance experience across pharmaceutical distribution, manufacturing, and professional services.
I keep my client list deliberately focused so every engagement gets proper senior attention. No junior delegation. No offshored bookkeeping. No black-box software making decisions on your behalf.
Tax matters that fall outside CIMA's remit — Corporation Tax, personal Self-Assessment, R&D claims — are referred out to a UK Chartered Accountancy firm we work with. A regulated practice with experience supporting community pharmacy clients on Capital Gains on disposal, R&D claims where applicable, and group structuring.
30 minutes on Calendly. Free, no obligation. We talk about your practice, the gaps you feel, and what monthly visibility would actually mean for you.
Free. We connect to your Xero, run our checks, and tell you honestly what we'd do differently — whether you engage with us or not.
If it's a fit, we go live. Fixed £500/month, GoCardless mandate, no surprises. Monthly cycle starts from the first complete month.
Bookkeeping for community pharmacies from £500/month, fixed fee. CIMA-supervised. Free 30-minute initial review — no obligation.
Book your initial review → Currently accepting enquiries