NPA issues warning on hub and spoke dispensing
by Pharmacy Life - Published on 14 September 2014
The National Pharmaceutical Association (NPA) is urging its members to be cautious about hub and spoke dispensing, following the latest meeting of the association’s Policy and Practice Committee.
The Committee, a standing-committee of the NPA Board, met last week, where it also discussed medication error reporting, electronic prescribing, pharmacy supervision and the EU’s Falsified Medicines Directive.
'Hub and spoke’ models for dispensing prescriptions are currently being developed by some multiple pharmacy groups, including independent multiples. Opportunities for small independents are more limited due to legislation and other challenges.
'There needs to be a level playing field for community pharmacies irrespective of ownership,' said Committee Chairman, Nitin Sodha. 'However, in pursuit of this end, there should be no setting aside of governance standards and sober consideration of unintended consequences.
'There are a number of risks associated with the spread of hub and spoke dispensing. As community pharmacy owners consider opportunities to improve efficiency in dispensing, they should not overlook safety and information governance considerations, the impact on patient experience and any implications for the reputation and vitality of the pharmacy sector.
'Special care must be taken not to undermine the accessibility of expert pharmaceutical care to the public, which is a key strength of the community pharmacy sector. We are especially wary of hub and spoke models which reduce patient contact with pharmacists, for example where the hub is a distance selling pharmacy with the spokes being merely prescription collection points or direct to patients.'
The NPA will be further developing its policy on hub and spoke dispensing in the coming weeks.