This month, Mike Hewitson shared his views on the upcoming development of hub and spoke for independents with Chemist + Druggist magazine.
Mike is one of our non-executive directors and the owner of Beaminster Pharmacy in Dorset.
Having previously been on the board of the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), Mike’s history with hub and spoke goes back five years, when he was involved in the NPA’s research into the model.
At the time he felt that many of the claims made for hub and spoke lacked a real understanding of how independent pharmacies operate. Now, his advisory role at HubRx is helping to shape the development of the UK’s first automated hub purpose-built for independents.
Legislative changes due in 2021 are set to enable independents to realise the efficiencies of automated dispensing currently only viable for larger chains. It means there is an opportunity for centralised technology to free up independent pharmacists’ time, so they can provide more clinical services to patients.
In his article, Mike said: “Demand for our clinical expertise has never been higher, but we cannot be complacent about continuing to meet that demand. Community pharmacy’s current model is not sustainable either financially or on a human level. We are on a treadmill, working faster, but getting nowhere. Technology must be part of the solution.”
You can read Mike’s article here