Time for Pharmacies to Make the Move to Offsite Dispensing

Pharmacy First offers an incredible opportunity, but with many pharmacies already struggling to meet the minimum consultation threshold the clock is ticking for community pharmacy. To survive in this new world of services they must change the way they work to secure their future as the front door to the NHS. The pending changes to hub and spoke legislation will allow them to do just this. In this article Sales and Marketing Director, Louise Laban, explains why moving dispensing offsite is critical to creating capacity in store to deliver Pharmacy First.

 A recent survey by the Association of Independent and Multiple Pharmacies (AIMp – now IPA) revealed some concerning findings. A fifth of those questions admitted that this month’s Pharmacy First threshold of five consultations felt “unachievable”. Almost 60% said they would struggle to achieve ten consultations a month and over 70% said they had struggled to meet just three consultations a month.

The figures are worrying and should ring alarm bells for all community pharmacy owners. With the threshold set to rapidly rise in the coming months, pharmacy owners have no option other than to act now if they want to survive in this evolving world. Pharmacies were already under enormous pressure ahead of the Pharmacy First launch earlier this year. Now the additional workload is pushing many to breaking point. It’s time to face facts – continuing to try and operate pharmacies in the same way simply won’t work, in fact it is nonsensical. As one pharmacy owner put it at the recent Pharmacy Business Conference: “If we stand still, we will die.” [1]

The Need for Pharmacy Support

The IPA survey found almost half of those asked believed Pharmacy First consultations were taking an average of 20 minutes and almost three quarters of those asked said time spent on the service had “reduced their capacity” to deliver other pharmacy services [and] activities.” It shouldn’t come as a surprise, with the dispensing process alone accounting for 88% of a pharmacist’s time in store [2] there is no capacity for services. It is quite clear that community pharmacy will continue to struggle to meet the Pharmacy First thresholds if they insist on keeping the pharmacy dispensing process as it is in store.

 Attempting to do so will simply result in one of two potential outcomes:

1. The pharmacist will remain knee-deep in the dispensing process with no time for services
2. The pharmacist will fall significantly behind in the dispensing process as they try and juggle the impossible task of delivering both dispensing and services.

Either of these options will result in a significant risk to the pharmacy business be it financially or from a customer service perspective.

Move dispensing out of the pharmacy branch

The only solution for pharmacies is to move as much of the dispensing process offsite as possible to a central location. From January 2025, this will be an option for all pharmacies with the decision to level the playing field for hub and spoke and open it up to pharmacies with different legal entities. The legislation will make hub and spoke possible for the following scenarios:

1. Any pharmacy wanting to centralise their repeat dispensing process
2. Any pharmacy wanting to provide dispensing to other pharmacies
3. Any pharmacy groups who want to come together to create their own hub
4. Pharmacy owners with more than one chain of pharmacies who want to bring these different businesses together into one hub and spoke model.

Making the move to hub and spoke could half your dispensing volumes in store. We work with a number of pharmacy groups who have done just this and use FLOWRx technology. They have been able to move as much as 50% of their entire dispensing process out of branch so it can be done at one central location. This is saving an average of over 4 hours of pharmacist time per store, as well as saving time for dispensers and checking technicians. As a result the pharmacy businesses that have taken this approach not only have plenty of time to deliver Pharmacy First consultations, they’ve also had time to introduce private or locally commissioned services too.

What is FLOWRx  Hub & Spoke Solution?

The FLOWRx hub and spoke solution is a scaled down version of the traditional fully automated pack to patient central fill model. As it is scaled down it means this type of technology is now accessible and affordable for all pharmacy groups, regardless of size.

Technology is undoubtedly an investment, but it is an investment that can secure the future of pharmacy. Pharmacists need to take calculated risks such as investing in this type of technology if they are to secure the future of their business. It’s also worth noting here that financing options are available so payments can be spread over a period of time.

It’s imperative that pharmacy businesses pivot the focus of the branches towards services. With more and more focus on services and no new money on the horizon for dispensing, it is clear for all to see where the future of pharmacy lies. Moving to a centralised dispensing model will allow pharmacies to deliver an increasing number of services while also maintaining or even growing their current dispensing volumes.

Pharmacy Dispensing Solutions By Centred Solutions 

At Centred Solutions we offer a range of pharmacy automation software to support your pharmacy. Whether you are a pharmacy looking to streamline your operations by receiving medications directly from wholesalers or  need support in setting up your own hub, we have the solution for you. 

Standing still is no longer an option for pharmacy, it’s time to make the move. Book your free consultation today.

[1] https://www.pharmacy.biz/news/pharmacy-business-conference-2024-envisions-the-pharmacy-of-tomorrow/

[2] The pharmacy paradox: matching ambition and reality (thecca.org.uk)