Launch of Hub and Bespoke

For over a decade, the Pharmacy Show has been a major event for those working in the community pharmacy sector. The event at Birmingham’s NEC takes place on October 16 and 17 and allows all Pharmacy Professionals to come together for two days of education, innovation and networking opportunities.

Centred Solutions will use this year’s event to educate independent and multiple pharmacies about how hub and spoke can be a realistic and viable option for them and to raise awareness of new solutions that are available to get them on the ladder of automation. To support pharmacies in starting to identify the right solution, the Centred Solutions team has developed a new online tool which takes into account a range of factors before recommending a potential hub and spoke model based on a pharmacy’s specific needs and requirements. The Hub and Bespoke tool will be available to use online ahead of the show or on their stand (B50) during the event.

“There is a real perception out there that hub and spoke is only an option for the largest groups and that the only hub model available is one that is huge, requires significant space and significant investment. That is simply not the case and we are hoping to use this year’s Pharmacy Show to dispel that myth,” explained Louise Laban, Sales and Marketing Director at Centred Solutions.

“It is time to move away from the narrative that automation is big machines or robots that require significant capital investment upfront. That may have been the case a five years ago but it certainly isn’t today. Technology has evolved and there is now a range of entry level solutions out there that can automate different elements of the repeat dispensing process. You don’t have to do everything all in one go. It is about simply making a start and maybe just automating part of your workflow initially and then building from there. The important thing is to put in place something that is scaleable and can grow with you in the future,” she said.

“Our advice is simple. Have a look at the areas of your business that are slowing you down and preventing you from spending time on patient facing services and that should be your starting point. From there you can look at ways to improve the workflow and identify technology that exists to support you in that process. If administrative elements of the repeat dispensing process are preventing you spending time with patients then we have a range of technology that could support you. The new tool we have developed simply gives you an indication of what the right solution might be for you,” concluded Louise.

As well as supporting pharmacies to identify potential hub and spoke models for their business, Centred Solutions will also be using the show to demonstrate its range of FLOWRx technology including FLOWRx Connect, FLOWRx Hub and FLOWRx Instore.

They will also be giving a talk in the Technology Theatre at 2.05pm on October 16 alongside Mayank (Mike) Patel, Superintendent and Managing Director of Pearl Chemist Group. The South West London pharmacy group are one of several early adopters already running a FLOWRx Hub. Other pharmacy groups also using various models of FLOWRx hub and spoke technology or about to implement it include Paydens Pharmacy, Medipharmacy, Lalys, Peak Pharmacy, Sigcare and AR Pharmacy.

To find our more why not arrange a meeting with one of experts at this year’s event or alternatively use the newly developed tool to discover your potential hub and spoke model.