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The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Scotland has launched an online pharmacy best practice hub to showcase the best practices adopted by pharmacy teams in Scotland. The brand new pharmacy best practice hub, hosted on the RPS Scotland website, went live on Thursday (August 11). RPS Scotland said: "Pharmacy teams across Scotland are undertaking fantastic work right now, in a variety of settings including community, hospital and general practice pharmacy as well as specialist settings. Many of these examples demonstrate the very best in pharmacy practice, which is supporting the profession to move further towards RPS Scotland's professional vision for the future of pharmacy, Pharmacy 2030." RPS wants to celebrate and share these examples with healthcare professionals, government, politicians, the public and potential pharmacy students to inspire people into the profession. It also provides a fantastic opportunity for pharmacy teams to share their practice with each other across the country.

Lo's Pharmacy, a Yorkshire-based pharmacy chain is adopting a new approach to hub and spoke in a first of a kind model to be used in the UK. The pharmacy will centralise its repeat prescription dispensing service for original packs with the support of its medication wholesaler. The independent group, which has 25 NHS community pharmacies across Yorkshire, will install Centred Solution's Automated FLOWRx Hub product at its central dispensing facility in Wath-Upon-Dearne, South Yorkshire. But unlike other FLOWRx customers, who pick packs from a robotic dispensing system or internal warehouse, Lo's Pharmacy will receive patient-specific flow totes directly from their wholesaler which can then be processed by their hub. This workflow has not been used anywhere else in the country until now and it is a revolutionary approach to hub and spoke dispensing, showing what can be achieved when key players decide to collaborate. It further demonstrates that there are range of variations of hub and spoke models available and accessible to independent and multiple community pharmacies across the UK.

Paydens Pharmacy Group, one of the first multiple pharmacies to adopt hub and spoke model last year, revealed that the move has resulted in significant time savings in store. Centralising dispensing of repeat prescriptions relieves pressure in pharmacy branches and releases time to deliver revenue generating services, the group said. The group created a hub in Maidstone, Kent, to service its highest dispensing branches. The hub uses Centred Solution's FLOWRx Hub Auto to dispense their original pack repeat prescriptions. The group put in the first FLOWRx Hub production line in spring 2022 and then added in a second line in the autumn as they increased production and moved more stores to the hub and spoke model. The innovative solution interfaces with EMIS PMR, Omnicell's Robotic Dispensing System and Universal Logistics Management software as well as Victoria OS ordering software. The hub operation runs during the day Monday to Friday and produces an average of 33,289 packs per week for just under 9,000 patients, leaving plenty of scope to ramp up. The hub is currently dispensing 79.7% of repeat prescription original packs requested by the group's busiest stores.

Superdrug has announced a pay increase for newly qualified pharmacists, in a move that will see wages rise to £50,000 - ensuring that Superdrug Pharmacists continue to receive the strongest renumeration package on the high street today. Superdrug is also enhancing its patient experience and operational structure, with the introduction of a new role of Pharmacy Team Leader to selected pharmacy stores. Pharmacy Team Leaders will be dispenser trained and provide a clear line of accountability for day-to-day dispensary activity including adhering to legal and clinical frameworks whilst supporting, coaching, and developing a high-performing pharmacy team. The role also allows Superdrug to offer a clear line of progression for talented Pharmacy Dispensers and Technicians who want to do more in their career and recognises the valuable contribution Pharmacy Dispensers & Technicians play in community pharmacy. In addition, the appointment of two new Heads of Pharmacy Operations sees the high street retailer driving and improving Superdrug's pharmacy performance to offer the best possible care for patients. Craig Watt, Pharmacist and previously Area Manager, has been appointed to Head of Pharmacy Operations North and will be responsible for the operation of Superdrug's central distribution hub serving its e-pharmacy and Online Dr team.

HubRx has appointed Dr Sarah Passmore as superintendent pharmacist ahead of launching what the company called "the UK's first state-of-the-art automated pharmacy hub". Dr Passmore brings more than 20 years of pharmacy experience - having held key regulatory roles with Rowlands Pharmacy over a 11-year tenure, which also saw her involved in a number of pharmacy automation projects. Commenting on her appointment, Dr Passmore said: "As a pharmacist, who has spent more than 10 years working within community pharmacy, I'm excited by what a hub and spoke model for prescription dispensing can bring. "Pharmacists are highly trained in delivering clinical services to patients - and like me - it's often a part of their job that they thoroughly enjoy. The option of using hub and spoke to support dispensing prescriptions will give community pharmacists the gift of more time that can be spent helping patients. "I'm excited to join HubRx and for it to become the first state-of-the-art automated pharmacy hub designed for independent community pharmacists to launch in the UK."

Omnicell Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Omnicell - an American healthcare technology company, has signed an agreement with the shareholders of Hub and Spoke Innovations Limited to acquire Hub and Spoke Innovations. Hub and Spoke Innovations Limited is distributor of the Pharmaself24 prescription collection kiosk in Great Britain. The move will complement Omnicell's total solution technology portfolio for retail pharmacy in the UK, including a pack-pick dispensing robot, automated MDS filling machine and eMAR solution, thereby helping pharmacies to improve workflows and offer a 24/7 access to medications and patient care. It will also help community pharmacies achieve their goals, as they increasingly look at ways to make their businesses more efficient and free up staff to offer more pharmaceutical care and services to patients. In short, the deal would enable Omnicell to offer a wider range of digital technologies to streamline retail pharmacy operations, allowing pharmacists to spend more time with patients and focus on value-added, revenue-generating healthcare services, such as vaccinations.

Two weeks prior to the closing of the hub and spoke consultation, issues around patient safety, costs and competition as well as practicalities such as what to do with uncollected medicines were discussed in a webinar on hub and spoke dispensing on Wednesday (May 26). The webinar was organised by Sigma Pharmaceuticals in association with the National Pharmacy Association (NPA). NPA director of corporate affairs Gareth Jones chaired the event and was joined by Sigma's Hatul Shah and Raj Haria as well as NPA vice chair Nick Kaye and NPA head of advice and support services Jasmine Shah. Kaye said: "There are still many 'unknown unknowns' with hub and spoke and the jury's still out on any potential benefits. I have lots of reservations about cost and it worries me how efficient this is for the business and the long term sustainability for the sector as a whole. Above all we need to think about the patient at the centre of all this and the potential confusion for them." Jasmine Shah felt patient safety was going to be the key in regards to whether the spoke and the hub would hold the ultimate responsibility and "who is going to take the accountability as far as patient care goes". She added: "It is most important that GPhC standards and NHS requirement are both met in identifying all the risks associated with the arrangement with hub and spoke and ensuring that (patient safety) measures are in place. Everything that needs to be looked at is by putting the patient at heart of the arrangement and seeing what is the safest way for them to receive care from both spoke and hub."

The recent announcement that Royal Mail will be partnering with distance selling pharmacy (DSP) giant pharmacy2U highlights how standards of regulatory enforcement are being ignored to accommodate the DSP model. The brunt of these double standards hinges around the levelling down of temperature enforcement standards by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) which demands mapping must be audited from the point of dispensing to the patient. The MHRA has a well recognised duty to ensure medicines reach patients in a safe condition. The current anomaly appears to turn a blind eye to this step in the supply chain at the point the wholesaler releases goods to the pharmacy hub. Equally the training on delivering medicines safely and effectively direct to patients should apply fully to all hubs including DSPs. Why is it that DSPs are being treated differently to bricks and mortar pharmacies? It's essentially the same patients receiving the same medicines from the same wholesalers. A further regulatory disparity exists around how parcels must be "tracked and signed for" to be reasonably certain medicines are delivered into the hand of the intended recipient, as per existing regulations. Clearly an untracked, unsigned package cannot be guaranteed to finish in the hands of the intended recipient. There is a very real possibility that such omission could lead to community pharmacy closures which will, in turn, lead to unemployment and a reduction in the care services. At a time when integrated care systems have just gone live, the removal of vital support services leading to further inequalities is the wrong message for both providers and patients alike.

A policy brief, developed by researchers from the University of Bath and University of Strathclyde with funding from Sigma Pharmaceuticals, has recommended the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS to increase community pharmacy funding to avoid damaging closures and diminution of quality. The report launched on Wednesday (12 June) at an event in the House of Commons, attended by Members of Parliament, senior policymakers and the pharmacy industry, analysed community pharmacy policies and spoke to stakeholders to explore their opinions of the future of community pharmacy. It was found that patients value their community pharmacies, but staff feel demotivated, insecure and undervalued. Stakeholders and policies suggested that in the future, medicines should be supplied by automated 'hub and spoke' dispensing, enabling community pharmacy staff to provide services that relieve pressure on GP surgeries, such as long-term conditions management, urgent care and public health.

While responding to the consultation on hub and spoke dispensing, trade unions for pharmacists have emphasised that the patient safety and care must be the priority in hub and spoke dispensing. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has welcomed the opportunity provided by a change in legislation to enable community pharmacies to make use of hub and spoke dispensing but reaffirmed that patient care must be at the heart of future changes. With regards to patient safety, the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) considers that only Model 1 is appropriate, with manageable risks related to patient safety, and is a model that has the potential to allow the whole sector to benefit fairly. In its response to the consultation on Hub and Spoke dispensing, PSNC highlighted that Model 2 in the consultation, a hub direct to patient supply of dispensed medicines, raises patient safety issues and it cannot be supported. RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said: "In all models, patients need to continue to have access to a pharmacist at the time of supply of medicines so they have the opportunity to discuss, ask questions or raise concerns, and receive appropriate information with counselling and advice.

With the government gearing up and pushing community pharmacies in England to adopt the hub and spoke dispensing model, stakeholders of the sector and industry leaders analyse the pros and cons related to the new concept. The model rose to prominence in 2015 in community pharmacy and the medicine supply chain in the UK, and has undergone a few consultations and reviews at the professional and governmental level since then. From a broader perspective, the industry agrees that the model will bring in efficiency to the system, much needed amid community pharmacy's flat funding settlement in England, at the same time highlighting some real challenges. The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has so far released three reports on this matter and a review of the challenges and enablers of the hub and spoke in the UK in 2016. Besides, a review of international evidence and the report of a roundtable meeting was brought together in the supply chain with government and regulators in early 2020.

Pharmacy wholesaler PHOENIX UK is investing over £13 million to build a new state-of-the-art distribution hub in Wakefield. The 260,000 sq. ft facility is expected to be operational next year and will service community pharmacies, hospitals and dispensing doctors across the North East of England and Yorkshire. In a statement on Tuesday (July 5), PHOENIX UK said the completed hub will feature 22 dock level loading bays and seven access doors to enable the productive arrival and distribution of medical products. It will also be highly energy efficient, including the use of Solar PV on its roof. The car park will also offer 46 electric vehicle charging bays. Speaking at an official opening event held on 30 June to mark the expansion of the company's distribution capabilities, group managing director of PHOENIX Steve Anderson said: "Over the last few years, we have seen an outstanding growth in customer demand for our core services outpacing the market: Wakefield is a prime example of how we are committed to investing in the future by expanding our UK-wide operational capabilities to offer all our customers across the country the best possible service they need, want and deserve.

Sobha Sharma Kandel wants community pharmacy teams up and down the country to be super responsive to emerging needs of their patients - by always being pro-active rather than reactive. "We know that every patient benefits from our proactive approaches - listening, asking questions, providing information and making clinical interventions when appropriate. "At a time when general practice is overstretched, community pharmacy must be relied upon as the frontline of the NHS when it comes to providing diagnosis, treatment and continuous care in our communities to promote health and wellbeing of our patients." Sobha believes Covid-19 has helped shift public perception of community pharmacies from being a place where one goes to collect a prescription to a hub where one can access a range of healthcare advice and services. "We are way more than just a shop where you can collect your medicines," she said, giving examples of how her interventions have helped reduce medication errors, prevent harm and subsequently reduce cost of care. She once saved a baby from getting overdosed with omeprazole when they had issues with gastroesophageal reflux. On another occasion, she managed a lady's high blood pressure by finding equivalent medications to a combination dose prescribed by her doctor in another country.

Talk of hub and spoke models has been rumbling on for as long as I can remember. The topic has once again hit the headlines as the government announced a fresh consultation for its proposed changes, calling on all interested parties to submit their views by 8th June. The argument for hub and spoke is to allow independents to have the same level playing field as the larger groups who have been operating this model for some time. The government also sees significant efficiency gains in centralisation, arguing this will free pharmacists time away from dispensing to focus on clinical services. The latest consultation advocates two models being created. In the first model, the dispensed medication is sent back to the spoke. In the second model, the completed medication can be sent out directly to the patient. The latter is a new concept which could open up new opportunities in how services are delivered. Pharmacies could effectively outsource the entire dispensing and delivery to housebound patients and care homes allowing pharmacies to take on new business without having to worry about logistics and geography.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), supported by the Association of Pharmacy Technicians UK (APTUK), have launched the first e-learning module in a series for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to develop their skills and knowledge in research. A total of nine e-learning modules will be released by the end of 2022 to improve research awareness, knowledge and skills for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians with little or no experience of research or research opportunities. The aim is to improve the capacity of pharmacy professionals to provide the evidence base to improve the practice of pharmacy and the health of the public. RPS President Professor Claire Anderson said: "Many pharmacy professionals are rather daunted by getting involved in research. Indeed, we have heard from pharmacists undertaking our post-registration credentialing assessments that the Research domain can present a real challenge.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has finally published its response to the 2022 consultation on hub and spoke dispensing. Considering the consultation evidence and further discussions, the government has expressed its intention to progress the proposals for enabling hub and spoke models across different legal entities as soon as possible. This will be achieved by using the enabling powers outlined in Part 2 of the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021 (MMDA) to amend the Medicines Act 1968 and the HMRs. Furthermore, the DHSC has decided to proceed with the implementation of the two models of hub and spoke dispensing that it consulted on. The government response to the consultation reads: "Having considered the responses, the government intend to proceed to implement the necessary changes to medicines legislation to remove the current restrictions that prevent the hub and spoke dispensing models from operating across different legal entities found in section 10 of the Medicines Act 1968.

Former superintendent pharmacist and National Pharmacy Association (NPA) director, Phil Galt, has been appointed the new UK managing director for pharmacy software supplier Cegedim Rx. The position was previously held by Adam Dennett, who resigned after a successful ten-year tenure to pursue a new career outside healthcare, the company said. Cegedim Rx, the pharmacy entity of Cegedim Healthcare Solutions UK, announced the new appointment this month (April 5). Tristan de Foucher, head of European operations for Cegedim Group, said: "Adam has been a force of nature in this business for the past 10 years. Under his leadership, the team has continuously and successfully invested in and driven product innovation to stay ahead of the ever-changing demands placed upon community pharmacy." Galt has over 20 years of experience as a qualified pharmacist and a successful business leader. He has worked extensively in community pharmacy, focusing on both care delivery and technology implementation.

The Competition and Market Authority (CMA) has suggested regulatory levers to curb "potential competition risk" from hub and spoke dispensing. In its response to the hub and spoke dispensing consultation, led by the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) last week, the competition watchdog said that a pro-active approach to monitoring the effect of hub and spoke dispensing and subsequent early consideration of any competition concerns was likely to be more effective and potentially less costly than any "ex-post enforcement any ex-post enforcement or unpicking of subsequently embedded competition issues". The competition watchdog has made a few suggestions to identify and remove the barriers to competition that might emerge with the new business models entering the market. It has asked the department to enable a "more level playing field". "Smaller independent pharmacies should, have improved access to automation and new dispensing models," it said.

Positive Solutions is set to launch its new, innovative, cloud-based medicines management system - HxCare which will be showcased in October at the Care Show. HxCare will be free of charge to community pharmacies signing up to the HxCare Affiliate Programme (HxCAP) making it an ideal platform to support existing care home business and attract new ones. The cloud-based medicines management system aims to digitise workflows, reduce errors and free up care providers to spend more time delivering care to their residents. Designed to be truly mobile, HxCare will be tablet based and has been developed by working closely with both care homes across the sector and their pharmacy partners who relish the prospect of an eMAR solution that integrates into their Analyst PMR. It is one of five new products being launched by Positive Solutions on the Hx platform this year. HxConsult is already live supporting pharmacies looking to maximise their service revenue. HxIntel will deliver real-time dashboards, reports and insights into the performance of pharmacy businesses of all sizes. My Health Hub will revolutionise patient pharmacy relationships whilst HxDispense is set to be the ultimate next generation PMR system. This modular, cloud-based interoperable ecosystem takes healthcare technology to a new level.

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has called its member to to express their views and fill out the Department of Health and Social Care's hub and spoke survey on the proposed model of dispensing. The Society has urged its members to fill out the survey before May 20. RPS president Claire Anderson said: "It is vital that RPS members have their say on issue that impact you in your roles. Currently only single legal entities can make use of this model of dispensing. "Our survey, which opened today, seeks your views and comments and will help to inform the RPS submission to this consultation." The consultation on the proposals to enable all community pharmacies to access hub and spoke dispensing published by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) will run for three months and will close on June 8, 2022.