Focused not frenetic: benefits of hub dispensing plain to see

In Practice

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Five members of staff work steadily in the dispensary, while prescriptions are retrieved quickly and efficiently. It’s busy but focused rather than frantic. The pharmacist is out-front and centre, constantly conversing with patients. “We didn’t stage this for your visit,” laughs business development manager, Taha Al-Attraqchi. “This is how things run with HubRx.”

“We are a busy branch dispensing around 14,000 items a month,” he says. “In the past it could get a little chaotic and disorganised, causing stress for patients and us. Now the busiest part of the day is when the bagged prescriptions arrive from HubRx and we put them away to await collection.”

Indeed, efficiency has improved to such an extent that the pharmacy, which has three consulting rooms, now operates most of the time with a single pharmacist. The focus is firmly on services rather than dispensing with HubRx handling around 70% of the dispensing volume.

Transformative

HubRx commercial director Mark Pedder is in no doubt about the benefits that hub-and-spoke dispensing have brought to the business. “It’s been truly transformative,” he says.

“When we bought our small chain of pharmacies in 2023, branch teams were manually dispensing around a quarter of a million prescription items each month. They were working flat out just to keep up with dispensing demand – there was little or no time for clinical services. The pharmacies weren’t really geared up for patient consultations either, with most available space taken up by stock.”

Each branch was redesigned so there was more space for patient interaction and the group was also able to reduce its stockholding significantly. Alwoodley, for instance, now holds less than £12,000 in stock, primarily antibiotics and fast-moving lines.

“We freed up on average 15 hours of capacity in each branch per day – that’s over 90 hours a week, which has directly contributed to an increase in revenue from NHS and private clinical services,” he says.

The figures back this up. In the first year of using HubRx (below), Pharmacy+Health grew its flu and Covid vaccination service by 400%. A wide range of additional NHS and private services are now available, and the group continues to innovate. Dispensing errors are also down because of improved workflows and increased accuracy at the hub.

“Not only is our pharmacy business much healthier, but our branch teams are as well,” says Pedder. “They’re not burnt out by endless dispensing. Stress levels are down; job satisfaction is up. HubRx has had a marked positive impact on our recruitment and retention model. Our people can now upskill and grow their careers in the direction they want.”

This was certainly the impression I got from Veronica Sanna, manager at the Headingley branch, but who provides clinical and prescribing support across the group. The capacity generated by HubRx has freed up over 150 hours for pharmacist training and upskilling, enabling over 29 competencies and an extensive range of clinical services, she says.

The Alwoodley pharmacy, a prescribing pathfinder site, focuses on chest and respiratory conditions. “Chronic disease management is an area where community pharmacy can make a real difference,” says Sanna, who is an independent prescriber.

However, like all Pharmacy+Health branches, it has a rapidly expanding service offer and is always looking for new opportunities. For instance, she is looking to specialise in menopause support and women’s health. “It is important that pharmacists are proactive in offering new services,” she says.

Sanna clearly relishes the increased time spent with patients, saying it leads to much better care. She also highlights the importance of having independent prescribers across the group to support new pharmacists and ensure high-quality prescribing.

“My job is now much more professionally rewarding,” she says. “It is incredibly motivating to be able to spend more time with patients.”