Page 8 - P4403.59-V69 Numark Pharmacy Magazine october

Unlocking

the power of

Hub & Spoke

And what these changes mean for you.

At Numark, we have seen firsthand the immense pressure the healthcare sector is under.
Staffing shortages, recruitment difficulties, and the constant struggle to find time for
essential tasks have placed significant strain on healthcare providers. Having spoken to
you, our valued members, it’s clear that the pressure you face is evident.

The growing number of NHS items means your teams are under increasing pressure, but
advancements in medication dispensing processes haven’t kept up. Current legislation
adds to these challenges by limiting how medicines can be assembled across legal entities,
blocking opportunities for greater efficiency. By requiring pharmacies to dispense only
within their physical locations, this rigid system creates bottlenecks and restricts resource
optimisation, making it harder to deliver timely and high-quality patient care.

Legislative changes are coming

We are excited about the government’s plans to remove restrictions in existing legislation
that only allows for hub and spokes to operate within the same legal entity.

Hub and spoke dispensing involves separate locations where repeat prescription assembly
occurs at a central ‘hub,’ often using automation, freeing ‘spoke’ pharmacies to focus on
direct patient care. They originally proposed two models of hub-and-spoke dispensing
across the UK, set to come into effect on at the start of 2025, but settled on one option
going live this month. This legislative amendment is designed to support the healthcare
sector by allowing for the introduction of hub-and-spoke models to increase efficiency,
free up time for more clinically focused tasks, and help teams deliver more services and
provide greater face-to-face patient care.

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P4403.59-V69 Numark Pharmacy Magazine october.indd 8 11/09/2025 13:25:03