The Challenge
Before ARC, printing at Bere Regis was managed through the Integrated Care Board (ICB), with hardware provided through IT suppliers and typically replaced only when it broke. That created a reactive environment where old printers remained in use until reliability became a daily frustration.
For a GP practice with a busy dispensary printing thousands of prescriptions every week, printer issues were not a minor inconvenience. When devices failed, ran out of consumables, or needed hard-to-source branded toners and drums, it disrupted clinical workflows and added pressure to the practice team.
The practice was also dealing with avoidable waste. When older printers were eventually replaced, the new machines required different consumables. That left Bere Regis with surplus stock that could no longer be used and had to be sold off or wasted.
The trigger for change was the combination of unreliable hardware, consumables uncertainty, wasted stock, and the need for printing equipment that better matched the demands of a live clinical setting. The practice needed printing to stop being something the team had to manage manually and start working quietly in the background.
What ARC Did
ARC began with discovery rather than a sales pitch. The team carried out a site assessment of the printer estate, looked at what each device was used for, reviewed copy volumes over time, and identified the pain points affecting different rooms and teams.
ARC helped by:
- Auditing the existing printer estate and understanding how devices were used across the practice
- Supporting the cost-benefit analysis and ICB approval process required to move away from the incumbent supplier
- Replacing old printers with brand-new, fit-for-purpose devices
- Supplying a higher-capacity dispensary printer with a lockable drawer for secure prescription storage
- Setting up monitoring so consumables could be ordered automatically before they ran out
- Providing ongoing support and a clear escalation route when issues occurred
The result was a managed print service that reduced manual stock checking, removed the need to hunt for the right supplies, and gave the team more confidence that printing would keep running when the practice needed it.
“We were fed up having wasted toners and drums or not being able to find the correct ones when we needed them for our printers.”
Nicky Chivers - Practice Manager, Bere Regis
The Outcome
After moving to ARC’s managed print service, Bere Regis shifted from reactive print management to a more proactive, reliable model. Instead of holding surplus consumables in cupboards or worrying about whether the right toner or drum would be available, the practice now receives automated notifications when supplies are sent out for specific printers.
The dispensary also gained a printer better suited to the practice’s workload: quicker, higher-capacity, and fitted with a lockable drawer for secure prescription storage. That mattered because prescription printing is a high-volume, operationally important part of the practice’s day-to-day work.
The service was not without issues. On a couple of occasions, consumables did not arrive as expected and the practice ran out. ARC traced the issue to other IT work that had disrupted the monitoring link between the printers and ARC’s system. The team sent replacement stock, investigated the cause, resolved the connectivity issue, and restored automated ordering.
Overall, printing became more predictable and less visible. The practice reduced wasted consumables, reduced the need for manual stock management, replaced end-of-life hardware, and gained a clearer support route when help was needed.
- Consumables are now ordered automatically through printer monitoring
- The practice no longer keeps unnecessary surplus stock sitting in cupboards
- End-of-life printers were replaced with fit-for-purpose devices
- The dispensary gained a quicker, higher-capacity printer with secure prescription storage
- ARC provided a clear, friendly support contact for the practice team
