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“The pharmaceutical industry is constantly pulled in two directions: the pressure to innovate quickly and the duty to meet ever tighter regulations. If companies do not find a balance they risk falling behind or worse, facing regulatory failure.”
These are the words of Aisha Amele, Senior Lecturer in Quality Assurance at BioGrad. With a career spanning the NHS, AstraZeneca and now education she has seen the industry from every angle including product, process, quality and regulatory compliance. Her experience gives her a unique vantage point on the challenges pharma companies face today.
The BioGrad Funded Pharma Skills Bootcamp takes a modular approach, blending GMP, GDP and QA with hands on practical training. The benefit is twofold: companies close skill gaps faster and staff feel more confident meeting MHRA requirements set out in the Orange Guide (Good Manufacturing Practice) and the Green Guide (Good Distribution Practice).
Rather than being a reactive measure after audits or recalls the bootcamp helps companies build a proactive compliance culture while reducing costs and protecting productivity.
It is this approach that made all the difference for Bells Healthcare, a Southport based pharmaceutical manufacturer whose story shows how targeted training can secure both compliance and growth.
About Bells Healthcare
Bells Healthcare is a pharmaceutical manufacturer with deep roots in the Liverpool City Region, tracing its history back more than a century. The company moved its operations to Southport in the 1960s and has grown steadily ever since.
Today, Bells produces a wide range of over the counter medicines including cough, cold and anti allergy treatments for major UK supermarkets while also exporting to over 70 countries worldwide. More recently the business has expanded into prescription medicines, a shift that has brought both opportunity and new compliance demands.
The company’s approach to growth is led by Steve Molyneux, Operations Director at Bells Healthcare who has overseen the expansion into the upskilling of staff to meet new regulatory standards.
“Bells Healthcare has been in the Liverpool City Region for over a hundred years. We manufacture cough, cold and anti allergy medications for all of the major supermarkets and for 70 countries outside of the UK. More recently we have been moving into prescription based medicines which means we are under more focus from the MHRA.”
The Challenge: Navigating Growth and Compliance at Bells Healthcare
Speaking from the company perspective, Steve Molyneux described the regulatory pressures they faced:
“As we move into more and more areas that put us under greater focus from the MHRA it is essential that staff understand exactly what it is that we are doing with the controlled substances we handle.”
This shift brought new scrutiny on both manufacturing standards (Orange Guide) and distribution practices (Green Guide). Staff required advanced GMP and GDP training to operate confidently in line with MHRA requirements.
Recruitment posed another problem:
“It is really important that we grow our own talent. We would not have been able to do that without the support of BioGrad.”
With few pharmaceutical businesses in the region finding external talent was difficult. Bells had to invest in upskilling loyal long serving staff to sustain future growth.
Training also needed to happen without halting production:
“We were able to train all of our staff without disturbing our day to day operation.”
As a high volume manufacturer and distributor Bells could not afford downtime. Training had to be delivered in a way that maintained business continuity.
Finally, the stakes were high:
“Had we not been able to deliver these courses successfully we may have had to look at relocation.”
Without a compliant workforce Bells risked moving operations away from Southport which would have threatened jobs and local stability.
The Solution: BioGrad’s Bespoke Training
Here again, Steve emphasised how BioGrad addressed these challenges:
“BioGrad as a company has given Bells Healthcare the opportunity to upskill all of our staff with tools and methods that we would not have been able to develop ourselves. That has accelerated our training and development which allows us to make more and more new products in a much more efficient and compliant way. It has enabled us to do it quicker. Our route to market has been accelerated because of the support that BioGrad has given us.”
BioGrad designed modular GMP and GDP courses aligned with MHRA requirements. This not only raised compliance standards but also gave Bells a faster more confident route to market.
Steve also stressed the importance of integration:
“We decided that we were going to try and find the best methods and processes to deliver an efficient course whilst we were running our business. The integration of working with BioGrad worked really well.”
Training was delivered in a way that complemented daily operations ensuring staff gained new skills without slowing production or distribution.
Finally, Steve’s recommendation speaks volumes:
“I would highly recommend the BioGrad approach to training and to integrating with a business to help develop and upskill staff. It is by far the best that I have seen in my 20 years of leading manufacturing companies simply because you work with the company to deliver an efficient bespoke solution rather than having a predetermined package.”
This endorsement highlights BioGrad’s core strength: tailoring training to each company’s needs rather than forcing them into an off the shelf model.
The Impact: What Changed at Bells Healthcare
In 2024, BioGrad trained 100 employees at Bells Healthcare in subjects ranging from GMP training to Risk Management to Lean Manufacturing.
This investment in people delivered clear results for the business:
Compliance Confidence
Staff are now trained to MHRA Orange and Green Guide standards ensuring audit readiness and reducing regulatory risk.
Workforce Growth & Retention
Long serving staff were upskilled into new responsibilities strengthening loyalty while reducing the need for external recruitment.
Business Continuity
Training was delivered without disrupting production allowing the company to maintain efficiency while improving capability.
Faster Route to Market
By embedding regulatory knowledge across the workforce Bells accelerated product development and launch timelines.
Regional Impact
Instead of facing relocation Bells safeguarded local jobs and created new employment opportunities in the Liverpool City Region.
Lessons for Pharma Companies
Bells Healthcare’s journey shows that workforce development is more than an HR initiative, it is a business strategy. By partnering with BioGrad they strengthened compliance, accelerated growth and invested in the people who drive their success.
If your company is navigating new product lines, compliance changes or preparing to scale, BioGrad can deliver GMP and GDP training that empowers your workforce at zero cost. Partner with us to build resilience and unlock growth.
