Will it unleash a new level of dispensing expertise and operational capacity allowing pharmacists to focus on other, potentially more profitable, areas?
Or will it erode dispensing revenue, strip out the caring element of pharmacy, and drive old-fashioned community pharmacy to the wall?
Given the polarised nature of the lengthy debate, C+D asked a very simple question. Is Hub and Spoke a good idea for community pharmacy?
Read more: We just bought 45 pharmacies - now we have an urgent need for Hub and Spoke
The response was – predictably – mixed. Some 44% of respondents to the survey said no, and 56% said yes.
We also asked readers: ‘Do you believe hub and spoke will enable the UK to serve a greater numbers of medicines to a greater number of patients?’
Respondents returned a similar split, with 58% saying yes, and 42% saying no.
In short, the ayes have it, just about. While opposition to Hub & Spoke remains, the determination within the industry to push things forward is greater.
Read more: Government set to ‘introduce’ hub-and-spoke legislation in 2025
But it feels like the issue has been bound up in an cycle of debate for years, with neither side able to cut through – and the results of the C+D survey reflect this quagmire.
Though the government has assured the sector that the relevant legislation is being readied, it is also going through further evolution and remains hanging.
But on balance, those pushing for progress are edging it. And it looks highly likely they will get it.
The C+D Salary Survey ran from October 16 2024 to Dec 31 2024 with 837 pharmacists and pharmacy staff taking part.
