HUB AND SPOKE
DISPENSING
In October 2025, significant legislative changes are set to come into force across the UK that will enable, though not mandate, the use of ‘hub and spoke’ dispensing models between registered pharmacies with different legal entities.
F
or pharmacy teams in Scotland, the implications are both timely and complex and the changes are stirring debate and
curiosity across the sector.
What the Legislation Will Do The amendments will not make hub and spoke models mandatory. Instead, they will permit registered pharmacies to enter into these dispensing arrangements with other registered pharmacies - something that current legislation does not allow unless both pharmacies are part of the same legal entity (e.g. within a large chain).
Under the new model, independent community pharmacies will now have the ability to collaborate under agreed terms. However, several conditions must be met before this can happen.
Most notably: • A formal agreement must be in place between the hub and spoke parties.
• Pharmacies must clearly display a notice informing patients that prescriptions may be processed through such an arrangement.
• The arrangement must follow regulatory standards and maintain patient confidentiality and care quality.
• The dispensed medication must be labelled with the spoke’s pharmacy details and the date that the medication was assembled at the hub
The Approved Model During the public consultation, two hub and spoke models were proposed. However, following extensive feedback, only one model has been included in the initial legislation. This model works as follows:
1. The spoke pharmacy (e.g., a local community pharmacy) receives a prescription and sends it to…
2. The hub pharmacy, which prepares, labels and assembles the medicine items, then returns them to…
3. The same spoke pharmacy, which supplies the medicines to the patient directly.
This model maintains the crucial pharmacist- patient interaction at the point of supply and ensures that the local pharmacy team remains in control of final checks, clinical oversight and face- to-face advice.
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scotpharm.com
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